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THE  NOVELS 

OF 

CAPTAIN   MARRYAT 

EDITED    BY 

R.  BRIMLEY    JOHNSON 


This  Edition  of  Captain  Marry af  s  Novels, 

made  exclusively  for  members  of  the 

NEW  YORK  YACHT  CLUB 

is  strictly  limited  to  one  hundred  copies. 


Copy  No.  /  5 
PRINTED  FOR 
H.  A.  VAN  LIEW,  Esq. 


'0S 


NEW  YORK  YACHT  CLUB  EDITION 


MASTERMAN     READY 


BY 
CAPTAIN  MARRY  AT 


NEW  YORK 

CROSCUP  AND  COMPANY 

MDCCCXCVI 


I 


Contents 


PAGE 

Chapter  i 

• 

•                   I 

Chapter  h 

4 

Chapter  hi 

8 

Chapter  iv 

J3 

Chapter  v 

18 

Chapter  vi 

23 

Chapter  vii 

29 

Chapter  viii 

37 

Chapter  ix 

41 

Chapter  x 

.         46 

Chapter  xi 

50 

Chapter  xii 

53 

Chapter  xiii     . 

< 

59 

Chapter  xiv 

.        63 

Chapter  xv 

69 

Chapter  xvi 

73 

Chapter  xvii     . 

77 

Chapter  xviii    . 

81 

Chapter  xix 

83 

Chapter  xx 

88 

Chapter  xxi 

91 

Chapter  xxii    . 

95 

Chapter  xxiii  . 

100 

VI 


Contents 


Chapter 

XXIV    . 

Chapter 

XXV       . 

Chapter 

XXVI     . 

Chapter 

XXVII    . 

Chapter 

XXVIII  . 

Chapter 

XXIX      . 

Chapter 

XXX       . 

Chapter 

XXXI     . 

Chapter 

XXXII  . 

Chapter 

XXXIII. 

Chapter 

XXXIV  . 

Chapter 

XXXV    . 

Chapter 

XXXVI  . 

Chapter 

XXXVII 

Chapter 

XXXVIII 

Chapter 

XXXIX  . 

Chapter 

XL 

Chapter 

XLI 

Chapter 

XLII       . 

Chapter 

XLIII      . 

Chapter 

XLIV      . 

Chapter 

XLV       . 

Chapter 

XLVI      . 

Chapter 

XLVII    . 

Chapter 

XLVIII   . 

Chapter 

XLIX     . 

Chapter 

L 

Chapter 

LI 

Chapter 

LII 

Chapter 

LIU 

Chapter 

LIV 

PAGE 
103 
106 
IO9 

XI3 

119 

122 

124 

130 
140 

145 
*53 
161 

169 

176 
184 

202 
210 
214 
226 

233 
242 

246 

249 

252 

255 

258 

262 

267 

270 

275 


Contents 


Vll 


Chapter 

LV 

Chapter 

LVI 

Chapter 

LVII       . 

Chapter 

LVIII      . 

Chapter 

LIX 

Chapter 

LX 

Chapter 

LXI 

Chapter 

LXII       . 

Chapter 

LXIII     . 

Chapter 

LXIV      . 

Chapter 

LXV       . 

Chapter 

LXVI      . 

Chapter 

LXVII    . 

PAGE 
280 

283 

288 

29I 

296 

300 

305 
308 

3J3 

3i8 
322 
328 
333 


List  of  Etchings 

The  whole  vessel  trembled  fore  and  aft  •  Frontispiece 


PAGE 


"  Look,  Ready,  at  Romulus  and  Remus  "  a          74 

Billy  .  .  .  made  a  bound  at  Tommy    .              .  .111 

The  lion  .  .  .  sprang  upon  Romer       .              •  ,192 

"Very  true,  sir;  she  does  see  us"     .              «,  .       231 

In  a  second  William  levelled  and  fired           .  .        321 

Drawn  and  Etched  by  D.  Murray- Smith. 


viu 


Prefatory  Note 


Masterman  Ready  is  the  first,  the  most  famous,  and 
certainly  the  best  of  the  short  series  of  stories  for  children 
which  Marryat  began,  comparatively  late  in  life,  under  the 
impression  that  "  his  former  productions,  like  all  novels, 
had  had  their  day,  and  for  the  present,  at  least,  would  sell 
no  more."  He  anticipated,  and  secured,  "  a  little  income  " 
from  these  "juveniles." 

In  his  preface,  printed  below,  he  expounds  the  origin 
of  the  tale  ;  and  no  one  will  be  inclined  to  dispute  the 
advance  in  correctness  on  The  Swiss  Family  Robinson,  to 
which  he  lays  claim.  Indeed  the  treatment  of  a  well-worn 
subject  is  surprisingly  fresh  and  convincing.  The  hyper- 
critical reader  may  cavil  at  the  thoughtfulness  of  the  sea- 
waves  in  washing  ashore  the  very  articles  required  for 
comfort,  and  no  one  can  fail  to  resent  the  excess  of 
righteousness  in  old  Ready ;  but  these  are  small  blemishes 
in  a  work  so  really  interesting  and  so  admirably  executed. 

It  is  exactly  suited  for  children,  abounding  in  detail, 
simple  in  conception,  and  pathetic  without  being  melan- 
choly. The  style  of  direct  narration  is  perfectly  clear  and 
attractive,  without  foolish  condescension.  Were  there  no 
external  evidence  of  the  fact,  we  could  be  confident  from 
a  study  of  this  volume,  that  Marryat  loved  children  and 
understood  them.  The  death  of  Ready,  through  Tommy's 
selfishness,  is  artistically  inevitable,  and  told  without 
sentimentality.  For  ourselves,  however,  we  confess  to 
finding  that  greedy  boy's  naughtiness  in  most  cases 
peculiarly  unattractive  and  scarcely  amusing. 

Undoubtedly  the  children's  own  vote,  which  must  be 
final,  is   almost   universally  in  high  praise  of  Masterman 


x  Prefatory  Note 

Ready.     We  may  repeat   to-day   Forster's   words   of  en- 
couragement : — 

"  You  ought  to  make  a  fortune  out  of  these  little 
books.  I  know  no  book  of  its  kind  so  popular  as 
Masterman  Ready.  Children  don't  read  it  once,  but  a 
dozen  times :  and  this  is  the  true  test." 

On  February  13,  1841,  Marryat  wrote  of  this  story: — 
"  I  have  been  amusing  myself  by  drawing  all  the  illustra- 
tions myself,  and  they  will  do  very  well,  independent  of 
saving  me  a  great  deal  of  money." 

In  the  first  edition  the  frontispiece  is  signed  Dickes  del 
R.  Branston  sc. ;  the  other  illustrations  are  engraved  by 
Branston,  possibly  after  drawings  by  Marryat. 

Masterman  Ready  is  here  reprinted,  with  a  few  correc- 
tions, from  the  first  edition  in  g  vols.  Longman,  Orme, 
Brown,  Green,  and  Longmans,  1 84 1,  1842. 

R.  B.  J. 


Author's  Preface 

I  promised  my  children  to  write  a  book  for  them.     It  was 
a  hasty  promise,  for  I  never  considered  whether  I  was 
capable  of  so  doing.     On  my  requesting  to  know  what 
kind  of  a  book  they  would  prefer,  they  said  that  they 
wished  me  to  continue  a  work  called  the  "  Swiss  Family 
Robinson,"  which  had  never  been  completed,  and  which 
appeared  peculiarly  to  interest  them.     I  sent  for  the  work 
and  read  it  :  it  was  originally  written  in  German,  trans- 
lated into  French,  and  from  French  into  English, — a  very 
fair  evidence  of  its  merits  as  amusing  to  children  ;  but  I 
found  difficulties  which  were  to  me  insurmountable,  and 
which  decided  me  not  to  continue  that  work,  but  to  write 
another  in  the  same  style ;  and  I  mention  this  more  with  a 
view  to  prevent  any  accusation  of  plagiarism,  than  with 
any  intent  to  depreciate  the  work  referred  to.     I  have  said 
that  it  is  very  amusing  ;  but  the  fault  which  I  find  in  it  is, 
that   it   does  not   adhere  to  the   probable,   or   even   the 
possible,  which  should  ever  be  the  case  in  a  book,  even  if 
fictitious,   when   written    for   children.     I   pass    over  the 
seamanship,   or    rather  the    want   of  it,   which   occasions 
impossibilities  to  be  performed  on  board  of  the  wreck, 
as  that  is   not   a  matter  of  any  consequence :   as  in  the 
comedy,  where,  when  people  did  not  understand  Greek, 
Irish  did  just  as  well,  so  it  is  with  a  large  portion  of  the 
seamanship  displayed  in  naval  writings.     But  what  com- 
pelled me  to  abandon  the  task  was,  that  much  ignorance, 
or   carelessness,    had    been    displayed    in    describing    the 
vegetable  and  animal  productions  of  the  island  on  which 
the  family  had  been  wrecked.     The  island  is  supposed  to 
be  far  to   the   southward,  near  to  Van  Diemen's  Land  ; 


xii  Author's  Preface 

yet,  in  these  temperate  latitudes,  we  have  not  only  plants, 
but  animals,  introduced  which  could  only  be  found  in  the 
interior  of  Africa  or  the  torrid  zone,  mixed  up  with  those 
really  indigenous  to  the  climate.  This  was  an  error  which 
I  could  not  persuade  myself  to  follow  up.  It  is  true  that 
it  is  a  child's  book ;  but  I  consider,  for  that  very  reason, 
it  is  necessary  that  the  author  should  be  particular  in  what 
may  appear  to  be  trifles,  but  which  really  are  not,  when  it 
is  remembered  how  strong  the  impressions  are  upon  the 
juvenile  mind.  Fiction,  when  written  for  young  people, 
should,  at  all  events,  be  based  upon  truth ;  and  I  could  not 
continue  a  narrative  under  the  objections  which  I  have 
stated. 

Whether  I  have  succeeded  or  not  in  the  construction  of 
my  own,  is  another  question.  I  shall,  however,  take  the 
opinions  of  the  children,  rather  than  of  the  critics,  on  this 
point.  In  this  first  part  which  I  publish,  I  have  only 
commenced  the  work,  which,  if  approved  of,  I  shall 
continue  in  series.  My  idea  is,  to  show  the  practical  man 
in  Ready,  and  the  theoretical  in  the  father  of  the  family  ; 
and,  as  the  work  advances,  to  enter  more  deeply  into 
questions  which  may  induce  children  to  think,  or,  by 
raising  their  curiosity,  stimulate  them  to  seek  for  informa- 
tion. 


Masterman  Ready 


Chapter  I 

It  was  in  the  month  of  October,  18 — ,  that  the  Pacific y 
a  large  ship,  was  running  before  a  heavy  gale  of  wind  in 
the  middle  of  the  vast  Atlantic  Ocean.  She  had  but 
little  sail,  for  the  wind  was  so  strong,  that  the  canvas 
would  have  been  split  into  pieces  by  the  furious  blasts 
before  which  she  was  driven  through  the  waves,  which 
were  very  high,  and  following  her  almost  as  fast  as  she 
darted  through  their  boiling  waters ;  sometimes  heaving 
up  her  stern  and  sinking  her  bows  down  so  deep  into 
the  hollow  of  the  sea,  that  it  appeared  as  if  she  would 
have  dived  down  underneath  the  waves ;  but  she  was 
a  fine  vessel,  and  the  captain  was  a  good  seaman,  who 
did  what  he  considered  best  for  the  safety  of  his  vessel, 
and  then  put  his  trust  in  that  Providence  who  is  ever 
watchful  over  us. 

The  captain  stood  before  the  wheel,  watching  the  men 
who  were  steering  the  ship ;  for  when  you  are  running 
before  a  heavy  gale  it  requires  great  attention  to  the 
helm  :  and  as  he  looked  around  him  and  up  at  the  heavens, 
he  sung  in  a  low  voice  the  words  of  a  sea-song  : — 

"  One  wide  water  all  around  us, 
All  above  us  one  black  sky." 

And  so  it  was  with  them : — they  were  in  the  middle  of 
the   Atlantic,    not    another   vessel    to   be    seen,    and    the 
heavens    were    covered    with    black   clouds,    which    were 
r  a 


2  Masterman  Ready 

borne  along  furiously  by  the  gale  \  the  sea  ran  mountains 
high,  and  broke  into  large  white  foaming  crests,  while 
the  fierce  wind  howled  through  the  rigging  of  the  vessel. 

Besides  the  captain  of  the  ship  and  the  two  men  at  the 
wheel,  there  were  two  other  personages  on  deck :  one 
was  a  young  lad  about  twelve  years  old,  and  the  other 
a  weather-beaten  old  seaman,  whose  grizzly  locks  were 
streaming  in  the  wind,  as  he  paced  aft  and  looked  over 
the  tafFrail  of  the  vessel. 

The  young  lad,  observing  a  heavy  sea  coming  up  to 
the  stern  of  the  vessel,  caught  hold  of  the  old  man's 
arm,  crying  out — "  Won't  that  great  wave  come  into  us, 
Ready?" 

"  No,  Master  William,  it  will  not :  don't  you  see  how 
the  ship  lifts  her  quarters  to  it  ? — and  now  it  has  passed 
underneath  us.  But  it  might  happen,  and  then  what 
would  become  of  you,  if  I  did  not  hold  on,  and  hold  you 
on  also  ?     You  would  be  washed  overboard." 

"  I  don't  like  the  sea  much,  Ready ;  I  wish  we  were 
safe  on  shore  again,"  replied  the  lad.  "  Don't  the  waves 
look  as  if  they  wished  to  beat  the  ship  all  to  pieces  ? " 

"Yes,  they  do;  and  they  roar  as  if  angry  because 
they  cannot  bury  the  vessel  beneath  them :  but  I  am  used 
to  them,  Master  Willy,  and  with  a  good  ship  like  this, 
and  a  good  captain  and  crew,  I  don't  care  for  them." 

"  But  sometimes  ships  do  sink,  and  then  everybody  is 
drowned." 

"  Yes,  Master  William ;  and  very  often  the  very  ships 
sink  which  those  on  board  think  are  most  safe.  We  can 
only  do  our  best,  and  after  that  we  must  submit  to  the 
will  of  Heaven." 

"What  little  birds  are  those  flying  about  so  close  to 
the  water  ?  " 

"  Those  are  Mother  Carey's  chickens,  Master  William, 
as  we  sailors  call  them.  You  seldom  see  them  except  in  a 
storm,  or  when  a  storm  is  coming  on." 

The  birds  which  William  referred  to  were  the  stormy 
petrels. 


Masterman  Ready  3 

"Were  you  ever  shipwrecked  on  a  desolate  island,  like 
Robinson  Crusoe  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Master  William,  I  have  been  shipwrecked  ;  but 
I  never  heard  of  Robinson  Crusoe.  So  many  have  been 
wrecked  and  undergone  great  hardships,  and  so  many  more 
have  never  lived  to  tell  what  they  have  suffered,  that  it's 
not  very  likely  that  I  should  have  known  that  one  man  you 
speak  of,  out  of  so  many." 

*'  Oh  !  but  it's  all  in  a  book  which  I  have  read.  I  could 
tell  you  all  about  it — and  so  I  will  when  the  ship  is  quiet 
again  ;  but  now  I  wish  you  would  help  me  down  below, 
for  I  promised  mamma  not  to  stay  up  long." 

"  Then  always  keep  your  promises  like  a  good  lad," 
replied  the  old  man;  "now  give  me  your  hand,  and  I'll 
answer  for  it  that  we  will  fetch  the  hatchway  without  a 
tumble  ;  and  when  the  weather  is  fine  again,  I'll  tell  you 
how  I  was  wrecked,  and  you  shall  tell  me  all  about  Robin- 
son Crusoe." 

Having  seen  Master  William  safe  to  the  cabin  door,  the 
old  seaman  returned  to  the  deck,  for  it  was  his  watch. 

Masterman  Ready,  for  such  was  his  name,  had  been 
more  than  fifty  years  at  sea,  having  been  bound  apprentice 
to  a  collier  which  sailed  from  South  Shields,  when  he  was 
only  ten  years  old.  His  face  was  browned  from  long 
exposure,  and  there  were  deep  furrows  on  his  cheeks, 
but  he  was  still  a  hale  and  active  man.  He  had  served 
many  years  on  board  of  a  man-of-war,  and  had  been  in 
every  climate ;  he  had  many  strange  stories  to  tell,  and  he 
might  be  believed  even  when  his  stories  were  strange, 
for  he  would  not  tell  an  untruth.  He  could  navigate  a 
vessel,  and,  of  course,  he  could  read  and  write ;  he  had 
read  his  Bible  over  and  over  again.  The  name  of  Ready 
was  very  well  suited  to  him,  for  he  was  seldom  at  a  loss  ; 
and  in  cases  of  difficulty  and  danger,  the  captain  would 
not  hesitate  to  ask  his  opinion,  and  frequently  take  his 
advice.     He  was  on  board  as  second  mate  of  the  vessel. 

The  Pacific  was,  as  we  have  before  observed,  a  very  fine 
ship,  and  well  able  to  contend  with  the  most  violent  storm. 


4  Masterman  Ready 

She  was  of  more  than  four  hundred  tons  burthen,  and  was 
then  making  a  passage  out  to  New  South  Wales,  with  a 
valuable  cargo  of  English  hardware,  cutlery,  and  other 
manufactures.  The  captain  was  a  good  navigator  and  sea- 
man, and  moreover  a  good  man,  of  a  cheerful,  happy 
disposition,  always  making  the  best  of  everything,  and 
when  accidents  did  happen,  always  more  inclined  to  laugh 
than  to  look  grave.  His  name  was  Osborn.  The  first 
mate,  whose  name  was  Mackintosh,  was  a  Scotsman,  rough 
and  ill-tempered,  but  paying  strict  attention  to  his  duty — 
a  man  that  Captain  Osborn  could  trust,  but  whom  he  did 
not  like. 

Ready  we  have  already  spoken  of,  and  it  will  not  be 
necessary  to  say  anything  about  the  seamen  on  board, 
except  that  there  were  thirteen  of  them,  hardly  a  sufficient 
number  to  man  so  large  a  vessel ;  but  just  as  they  were 
about  to  sail,  five  of  the  seamen,  who  did  not  like  the  treat- 
ment they  had  received  from  Mackintosh,  the  first  mate,  had 
left  the  ship,  and  Captain  Osborn  did  not  choose  to  wait 
until  he  could  obtain  others  in  their  stead.  This  proved 
unfortunate,  as  the  events  which  we  shall  hereafter  relate 
will  show. 


Chapter  II 

Master  William,  whom  we  have  introduced  to  the  reader, 
was  the  eldest  boy  of  a  family  who  were  passengers  on 
board,  consisting  of  the  father,  mother,  and  four  children  : 
his  father  was  a  Mr  Seagrave,  a  very  well-informed  clever 
man,  who  having  for  many  years  held  an  office  under 
government  at  Sidney,  the  principal  town  in  New  South 
Wales,  was  now  returning  from  a  leave  of  absence  of  three 
years.  He  had  purchased  from  the  government  several 
thousand  acres  of  land ;  it  had  since  risen  very  much  in 
value,  and  the  sheep  and  cattle  which  he  had  put  on  it  were 
proving  a  source  of  great  profit.  His  property  had  been 
well  managed  by  the  person  who  had  charge  of  it  during 


Masterman  Ready  5 

his  absence  in  England,  and  he  was  now  taking  out  with 
him  a  variety  of  articles  of  every  description  for  its  improve- 
ment, and  for  his  own  use,  such  as  furniture  for  his  house, 
implements  of  agriculture,  seeds,  plants,  cattle,  and  many 
other  things  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Mrs  Seagrave  was  an  amiable  woman,  but  not  in  very 
strong  health.  The  family  consisted  of  William,  who  was 
the  eldest,  a  clever  steady  boy,  but,  at  the  same  time,  full 
of  mirth  and  humour ;  Thomas,  who  was  six  years  old,  a 
very  thoughtless  but  good-tempered  boy,  full  of  mischief, 
and  always  in  a  scrape  ;  Caroline,  a  little  girl  of  seven 
years  ;  and  Albert,  a  fine  strong  little  fellow,  who  was 
not  one  year  old :  he  was  under  the  charge  of  a  black  girl 
who  had  come  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Sydney, 
and  had  followed  Mrs  Seagrave  to  England.  We  have 
now  mentioned  all  the  people  on  board  of  the  Pacific  : 
perhaps  we  ought  not  to  forget  two  shepherd's  dogs, 
belonging  to  Mr  Seagrave,  and  a  little  terrier,  which  was  a 
great  favourite  of  Captain  Osborn,  to  whom  she  belonged. 
And  now  we  will  proceed  : — It  was  not  until  the  fourth 
day  from  its  commencement  that  the  gale  abated,  and  then 
it  gradually  subsided  until  it  was  nearly  a  calm.  The  men 
who  had  been  watching  night  after  night  during  the  gale, 
now  brought  all  their  clothes  which  had  been  drenched  by 
the  rain  and  spray,  and  hung  them  up  in  the  rigging  to 
dry :  the  sails  also  which  had  been  furled,  and  had  been 
saturated  by  the  wet,  were  now  loosened  and  spread  out 
that  they  might  not  be  mildewed.  The  wind  blew  mild 
and  soft,  the  sea  had  gone  down,  and  the  ship  was  running 
through  the  water  at  the  speed  of  about  four  miles  an 
hour.  Mrs  Seagrave,  wrapped  up  in  a  cloak,  was  seated 
upon  one  of  the  arm-chests  near  the  stern  of  the  ship,  her 
husband  and  children  were  all  with  her  enjoying  the  fine 
weather,  when  Captain  Osborn,  who  had  been  taking 
an  observation  of  the  sun  with  his  sextant,  came  up  to 
them. 

"Well,  Master  Tommy,  you  are  very  glad  that  the  gale 
is  over  ?  " 


6  Masterman  Ready 

"  I  didn't  care,"  replied  Tommy,  "  only  I  spilt  all  my 
soup.  But  Juno  tumbled  off  her  chair,  and  rolled  away 
with  tjje  baby,  till  papa  picked  them  both  up," 

"  It  was  a  mercy  that  poor  Albert  was  not  killed," 
observed  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  And  so  he  might  have  been,  if  Juno  had  not  thought 
only  of  him  and  nothing  at  all  about  herself,"  replied  Mr 
Seagrave. 

"  That's  very  true,  sir,"  replied  Captain  Osborn.  "  She 
saved  the  child,  and,  I  fear,  hurt  herself." 

"  I  thump  my  head  very  hard,"  said  Juno,  smiling. 

"  Yes,  and  it's  lucky  that  you  have  a  good  thick  woolly 
coat  over  it,"  replied  Captain  Osborn,  laughing.  "  Never 
mind,  Juno,  you  are  a  good  girl." 

"It  is  twelve  o'clock  by  the  sun,  sir,"  said  Mackintosh, 
the  first  mate,  to  the  captain. 

"  Then  bring  me  up  the  latitude,  Mr  Mackintosh,  while 
I  work  out  the  longitude  from  the  sights  which  I  took  this 
morning.  In  five  minutes,  Mr  Seagrave,  I  shall  be  ready 
to  prick  off  over  our  place  on  the  chart." 

"  Here  are  the  dogs  come  up  on  deck,"  said  William  ; 
"  I  daresay  they  are  as  glad  of  the  fine  weather  as  we  are. 
Come  here,  Romulus  !     Here,  Remus  ! — Remus  !  " 

"Well,  sir,"  said  Ready,  who  was  standing  by  them 
with  his  quadrant  in  his  hand,  "  I  should  like  to  ask  you 
a  question.  Those  dogs  of  yours  have  two  very  odd 
names  which  I  never  heard  before.  Who  were  Romulus 
and  Remus  ?  " 

"  Romulus  and  Remus,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,  "  were 
the  names  of  two  shepherds,  brothers,  who  in  ancient  days 
founded  the  city  of  Rome,  which  eventually  became  the 
largest  and  most  celebrated  empire  in  the  world.  They 
were  the  first  kings  of  Rome,  and  reigned  together." 

"  And  they  were  suckled  by  a  wolf,  Ready,"  continued 
William  ;  "  what  do  you  think  of  that  ?  " 

"  It  was  a  queer  kind  of  wet  nurse,  Master  William," 
replied  Ready. 

"  And  Romulus  killed  Remus,"  said  William. 


Master  man  Ready  7 

"  No  wonder,  after  the  way  he  was  brought  up, 
Master  William,"  answered  Ready ;  "  but  why  did  he 
kill  him  ?  " 

"  For  jumping  too  high,"  replied  William,  laughing. 

"Is  Master  William  joking  ?  "  said  Ready,  appealing  to 
Mr  Seagrave. 

"  Yes,  he  is  and  he  is  not.  History  says  that  Remus 
affronted  Romulus  by  leaping  over  a  wall  he  had  raised, 
and  Romulus,  in  his  anger,  took  away  his  life ;  but  the 
history  of  early  days  is  not  to  be  depended  upon." 

"  No,  nor  the  brothers  either,  it  appears,"  replied  Ready  ; 
"  however,  it  is  the  old  story — two  of  a  trade  can  never 
agree.  One  sometimes  hears  of  Rome  now — is  that  the 
same  place  ? " 

'  'Yes,"  replied  William,  "it  is  the  remains  of  the  old 
city." 

"  Well,  one  lives  and  learns,"  said  Ready ;  "  I  have 
learnt  something  to-day,  which  every  one  will  to  the  last 
day  of  his  life,  if  he  will  only  ask  questions.  I'm  an  old 
man,  and  perhaps  don't  know  much,  except  in  the  seafaring 
way ;  but  I  should  have  known  much  less  if  I  did  not  ask 
for  information,  and  was  not  ashamed  to  acknowledge 
my  ignorance  ;  that's  the  way  to  learn,  Master  William." 

"Very  good  advice,  Ready, — and,  William,  I  hope 
you  will  profit  by  it,"  said  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  never  be 
ashamed  to  ask  the  meaning  of  what  you  do  not  under- 
stand." 

"I  always  do,  papa.  Do  I  not  ask  you  questions, 
Ready?" 

"  Yes,  you  do,  and  very  clever  questions  for  a  boy  of 
your  age,  Master  William ;  and  I  only  wish  that  I  could 
answer  them  better  than  I  can  sometimes." 

"  I  should  like  to  go  down  now,  my  dear,"  said 
Mrs  Seagrave  ;  "  perhaps  Ready  will  see  the  baby  down 
safe." 

"  That  I  will,  ma'am,"  said  Ready,  putting  his 
quadrant  on  the  capstern :  "  now,  Juno,  give  me  the 
child,   and  go   down   first  ; — stern    foremost,   you    stupid 


8  Masterman  Ready 

girl !  how  often  do  I  tell  you  that  ?  Some  day  or  another 
you  will  come  down  with  a  run." 

"  And  break  my  head,"  said  Juno. 

"  Yes,  or  break  your  arm ;  and  then  who  is  to  hold 
the  child?" 

As  soon  as  they  were  all  down  in  the  cabin,  the  captain 
and  Mr  Seagrave  marked  the  position  of  the  vessel  on 
the  chart,  and  found  that  they  were  one  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

"  If  the  wind  holds,  we  shall  be  in  to-morrow,"  said 
Mr  Seagrave  to  his  wife.  "  Juno,  perhaps  you  may  see 
your  father  and  mother." 

Poor  Juno  shook  her  head,  and  a  tear  or  two  stole  down 
her  dark  cheek.  With  a  mournful  face  she  told  them,  that 
her  father  and  mother  belonged  to  a  Dutch  boor,  who 
had  gone  with  them  many  miles  into  the  interior :  she 
had  been  parted  from  them  when  quite  a  little  child,  and 
had  been  left  at  Cape  Town. 

"  But  you  are  free  now,  Juno,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave ; 
"you  have  been  to  England,  and  whoever  puts  his  foot 
on  shore  in  England,  becomes  from  that  moment  free." 

"  Yes,  missy,  I  free ;  but  still  I  have  no  fader  or 
moder,"  replied  Juno,  weeping.  But  little  Albert  patted 
her  cheek,  and  she  was  soon  smiling  again,  and  playing 
with  the  little  boy. 


Chapter  III 

The  next  morning  the  Pacific  arrived  at  the  Cape  and 
anchored  in  Table  Bay. 

"Why  do  they  call  this  Table  Bay,  Ready?"  said 
William. 

"  I  suppose  it's  because  they  call  that  great  mountain 
the  Table  Mountain,  Master  William ;  you  see  how  flat 
the  mountain  is  on  the  top." 

"  Yes,  it  is  quite  as  flat  as  a  table." 


Masterman  Ready  9 

"  Yes,  and  sometimes  you  will  see  the  white  clouds 
rolling  down  over  the  top  of  it  in  a  very  curious  manner, 
and  that  the  sailors  call  spreading  the  tablecloth  :  it  is  a 
sign  of  bad  weather." 

"  Then  I  hope  they  will  not  spread  the  tablecloth 
while  we  are  here,  Ready,"  said  "William,  "for  I  shall 
certainly  have  no  appetite.  We  have  had  bad  weather 
enough  already,  and  mamma  suffers  so  much  from  it. 
What  a  pretty  place  it  is  !  " 

"  We  shall  remain  here  two  days,  sir,"  said  Captain 
Osborn  to  Mr  Seagrave,  "  if  you  and  Mrs  Seagrave  would 
like  to  go  on  shore." 

"I  will  go  down  and  ask  Mrs  Seagrave,"  said  her 
husband,  who  went  down  the  ladder,  followed  by  William. 

Upon  the  question  being  put  to  Mrs  Seagrave,  she 
replied  that  she  was  quite  satisfied  with  the  ship  having 
no  motion,  and  did  not  feel  herself  equal  to  going  on 
shore ;  it  was  therefore  decided  that  she  should  remain 
on  board  with  the  two  younger  children,  and  that,  on 
the  following  day,  Mr  Seagrave  should  take  William  and 
Tommy  to  see  Cape  Town,  and  return  on  board  before 
night. 

The  next  morning,  Captain  Osborn  lowered  down  one 
of  the  large  boats,  and  Mr  Seagrave,  accompanied  by 
Captain  Osborn,  went  on  shore  with  William  and  Tommy. 
Tommy  had  promised  his  mamma  to  be  very  good ;  but 
that  he  always  did,  and  almost  always  forgot  his  promise 
directly  he  was  out  of  sight.  As  soon  as  they  landed, 
they  went  up  to  a  gentleman's  house,  with  whom  Captain 
Osborn  was  acquainted.  They  stayed  for  a  few  minutes 
to  drink  a  glass  of  lemonade,  for  it  was  very  warm ;  and 
then  it  was  proposed  that  they  should  go  to  the  Company's 
Gardens  and  see  the  wild  beasts  which  were  confined 
there,  at  which  William  was  much  delighted,  and  Tommy 
clapped  his  hands  with  joy. 

"What  are  the  Company's  Gardens,  papa?"  inquired 
William. 

"  They  were  made  by  the  Dutch  East  India  Company, 


io  Masterman  Ready 

at  the  time  that  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  was  in  their 
possession.  They  are,  properly  speaking,  Botanical 
Gardens ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  the  wild  animals  are 
kept  there.  Formerly  there  were  a  great  many,  but 
they  have  not  been  paid  attention  to  lately,  for  we  have 
plenty  of  these  animals  in  England  now." 

"  What  shall  we  see  ?  "  said  Tommy. 

"  You  will  see  lions,  Tommy,  a  great  many  in  a  large 
den  together,"  said  Captain  Osborn. 

"  Oh  !  I  want  to  see  a  lion." 

"  You  must  not  go  too  near  them,  recollect." 

"No,  I  won't,"  said  Tommy. 

As  soon  as  they  entered  the  gates,  Tommy  escaped 
from  Captain  Osborn,  and  ran  away  in  his  hurry  to  see 
the  lions  ;  but  Captain  Osborn  caught  him  again,  and 
held  him  fast  by  the  hand. 

"  Here  is  a  pair  of  very  strange  birds,"  said  the 
gentleman  who  accompanied  them ;  "  they  are  called 
Secretaries,  on  account  of  the  feathers  which  hang  behind 
their  heads,  as  the  feather  of  a  pen  does  when  a  clerk 
puts  it  behind  his  ear ;  but  they  are  very  useful,  for  they 
are  snake  killers  ;  indeed,  they  would,  if  they  could, 
live  altogether  upon  snakes,  which  they  are  very  great 
enemies  to,  never  letting  one  escape.  They  strike  them  with 
their  feet,  and  with  such  force  as  to  kill  them  immediately." 

"  Are  there  many  snakes  in  this  country  ?  "  inquired 
William. 

"Yes,  and  very  venomous  snakes,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave, 
"  so  that  these  birds  are  very  useful  in  destroying  them. 
You  observe,  William,  that  the  Almighty,  in  his  wisdom, 
has  so  arranged  it  that  no  animal  (especially  of  a  noxious 
kind)  shall  be  multiplied  to  excess,  but  kept  under  by 
being  preyed  upon  by  some  other :  indeed,  wherever  in 
any  country  an  animal  exists  in  any  quantity,  there  is 
generally  found  another  animal  which  destroys  it.  The 
Secretary  inhabits  this  country  where  snakes  exist  in 
numbers,  that  it  may  destroy  them  :  in  England  the  bird 
would  be  of  little  value." 


Masterman  Ready  1 1 

"  But  some  animals  are  too  large  or  too  fierce  to  be 
destroyed  by  others,  papa  ;  for  instance,  the  elephant  and 
the  lion." 

"  Very  true  ;  but  these  larger  animals  do  not  breed 
so  fast,  and  therefore  their  numbers  do  not  increase  so 
rapidly.  For  instance,  a  pair  of  elephants  will  not  have 
more  than  one  young  one  in  the  space  of  two  years  or 
more  ;  while  the  rabbits,  which  are  preyed  upon  and  the 
food  of  so  many  other  beasts  as  well  as  birds,  would 
increase  enormously  if  they  were  not  destroyed.  I  have 
read  that  a  pair  of  rabbits,  from  themselves  and  their 
progeny  also  breeding  so  fast,  will  arrive  to  many  hundreds 
in  the  course  of  a  single  year.  Examine  through  the 
whole  of  creation,  and  you  will  find  that  there  is  an  unerr- 
ing hand,  which  invariably  preserves  the  balance  exact  ; 
and  that  there  are  no  more  mouths  than  for  which  food 
is  provided,  although  accidental  circumstances  may  for 
a  time  occasion  a  slight  alteration." 

They  continued  their  walk  until  they  came  to  the  den 
of  the  lions.  It  was  a  large  place,  enclosed  with  a  strong 
and  high  wall  of  stone,  with  only  one  window  to  it  for 
the  visitors  to  look  at  them,  as  it  was  open  above.  This 
window  was  wide,  and  with  strong  iron  bars  running 
from  the  top  to  the  bottom;  but  the  width  between  the 
bars  was  such  that  a  lion  could  put  his  paw  out  with  ease ; 
and  they  were  therefore  cautioned  not  to  go  too  near. 
It  was  a  fine  sight  to  see  eight  or  ten  of  these  noble- 
looking  animals  lying  down  in  various  attitudes,  quite 
indifferent  apparently  to  the  people  outside — basking  in 
the  sun,  and  slowly  moving  their  tufted  tails  to  and  fro. 
William  examined  them  at  a  respectful  distance  from  the 
bars  ;  and  so  did  Tommy,  who  had  his  mouth  open  with 
astonishment,  in  which  there  was  at  first  not  a  little  fear 
mixed,  but  he  soon  got  bolder.  The  gentleman  who  had 
accompanied  them,  and  who  had  been  long  at  the  Cape, 
was  relating  to  Mr  Seagrave  and  Captain  Osborn  some 
very  curious  anecdotes  about  the  lion.  William  and  they 
were  so  interested,  that  they  did  not  perceive  that  Tommy 


12  Masterman  Ready 

had  slipped  back  to  the  grated  window  of  their  den. 
Tommy  looked  at  the  lions,  and  then  he  wanted  to  make 
them  move  about :  there  was  one  fine  full-grown  young 
lion,  about  three  years  old,  who  was  lying  down  nearest  to 
the  window ;  and  Tommy  took  up  a  stone  and  threw  it  at 
him  :  the  lion  appeared  not  to  notice  it,  for  he  did  not 
move,  although  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  Tommy ;  so 
Tommy  became  more  brave,  and  threw  another,  and  then 
another,  approaching  each  time  nearer  to  the  bars  of  the 
window. 

All  of  a  sudden  the  lion  gave  a  tremendous  roar,  and 
sprang  at  Tommy,  bounding  against  the  iron  bars  of  the 
cage  with  such  force  that,  had  they  not  been  very  strong, 
it  must  have  broken  them.  As  it  was,  they  shook  and 
rattled  so  that  pieces  of  mortar  fell  from  the  stones. 
Tommy  shrieked  ;  and,  fortunately  for  himself,  fell  back 
and  tumbled  head  over  heels,  or  the  lion's  paws  would 
have  reached  him.  Captain  Osborn  and  Mr  Seagrave  ran 
up  to  Tommy,  and  picked  him  up  :  he  roared  with  fright 
as  soon  as  he  could  fetch  his  breath,  while  the  lion  stood 
at  the  bars,  lashing  his  tail,  snarling  and  showing  his 
enormous  fangs. 

"  Take  me  away — take  me  on  board  the  ship,"  cried 
Tommy,  who  was  terribly  frightened. 

"  What  did  you  do,  Tommy  ?  "  said  Captain  Osborn. 

M  I  won't  throw  any  more  stones,  Mr  Lion  ;  I  won't 
indeed,"  cried  Tommy,  looking  terrified  towards  the 
animal. 

Mr  Seagrave  scolded  Tommy  well  for  his  foolish  con- 
duct, and  by  degrees  he  became  more  composed  ;  but 
he  did  not  recover  himself  until  they  had  walked  some 
distance  away  from  the  lions'  den. 

They  then  looked  at  the  other  animals  which  were  to  be 
seen ;  Tommy  keeping  a  most  respectful  distance  from 
every  one  of  them.  He  wouldn't  even  go  near  to  a  Cape 
sheep  with  a  broad  tail. 

"When  they  had  seen  everything,  they  went  back  to 
the  gentleman's  house  to  dinner  •,  and,  after  dinner,  they 


Masterman  Ready  13 

returned  on  board,  when  Tommy's  adventure  with  the 
lion  was  told  to  his  mother,  who  declared  that  she  never 
should  be  able  to  trust  him  out  of  her  sight. 


Chapter  IV 

The  following  morning  the  fresh  water  and  provisions 
were  received  on  board,  and  once  more  the  Pacific 
stretched  her  broad  canvas  to  the  winds,  and  there  was 
every  prospect  of  a  rapid  voyage,  as  for  many  days  she 
continued  her  passage  with  a  fair  wind  and  flowing  sheet. 
But  this  did  not  continue  :  it  fell  calm,  and  remained  so 
for  nearly  three  days,  during  which  not  a  breath  of  wind 
was  to  be  seen  on  the  wide  expanse  of  water  ;  all  nature 
appeared  as  if  in  repose,  except  that  now  and  then  an 
albatross  would  drop  down  at  some  distance  from  the  stern 
of  the  vessel,  and,  as  he  swam  lazily  along  with  his  wings 
half  furled,  pick  up  the  fragments  of  food  which  had  been 
thrown  over  the  side. 

"What  great  bird  is  that,  Ready  ?  "  inquired  William. 

"It  is  an  albatross,  Master  William,  the  largest  sea-bird 
we  have.  Their  wings  are  very  long.  I  have  seen  them 
shot,  and  they  have  measured  eleven  feet  from  the  tip 
of  one  wing  to  the  tip  of  the  other  when  the  wings 
have  been  spread  out." 

"  It  is  the  first  one  that  I  have  seen,"  said  William. 

"  Because  you  seldom  meet  them  north  of  the  Cape, 
sir  :  people  do  say  that  they  go  to  sleep  on  the  wing, 
balancing  themselves  high  up  in  the  air." 

"  Papa,"  said  William,  turning  to  Mr  Seagrave,  who 
stood  by,  "  why  is  it  that  one  bird  can  swim  and  another 
cannot  ?  You  recollect  when  Tommy  drove  the  hens  into 
the  large  pond,  they  flounced  about,  and  their  feathers 
became  wet,  and  would  support  them  no  longer,  and  then 
they  were  drowned.  Now,  how  does  a  sea-bird  contrive 
to  remain  so  long  on  the  water  ?  " 


14  Masterman  Ready 

"  Because  a  sea-bird,  "William,  is  provided  with  a  sort 
of  oil  on  purpose  to  anoint  the  outside  of  its  feathers,  and 
this  oil  prevents  the  water  from  penetrating  them.  Have 
you  not  observed  the  ducks  on  shore  dressing  their 
feathers  with  their  bills  ?  They  were  then  using  this  oil 
to  make  their  feathers  waterproof." 

"  How  odd  !  " 

"  Don't  say  how  odd,  William  ;  that  is  not  an  ex- 
pression to  use  when  we  talk  of  the  wonderful  provisions 
made  by  the  Almighty  hand,  v/ho  neglects  not  the  meanest 
of  his  creatures — say  rather,  how  wonderful  !  " 

"  That's  very  true,  sir,"  observed  Ready ;  "  but  still 
you  must  not  be  too  hard  upon  Master  William,  for  I 
have  heard  many  a  grown-up  man  make  use  of  the  same 
expression." 

"They  were  not  better  taught  when  they  were  young, 
Ready." 

"  Perhaps  so,  sir  ;  and  Master  William  should  be 
thankful  that  he  has  a  father  who  does  take  the 
trouble.  But  here  comes  Juno  to  tell  you  that  tea  is 
ready." 

On  the  third  day  of  the  calm,  the  barometer  fell  so  low 
as  to  induce  Captain  Osborn  to  believe  that  they  should 
have  a  severe  gale,  and  every  preparation  was  made  to 
meet  it,  should  it  come  on.  Nor  was  he  mistaken : 
towards  midnight  the  clouds  gathered  up  fast,  and  as  they 
gathered  up  in  thick  piles,  heaped  one  over  the  other,  the 
lightning  darted  through  them  in  every  direction ;  and  as 
the  clouds  rose  up,  so  did  the  wind,  but  at  first  only  in 
heavy  gusts,  and  then  lulling  again  to  a  calm. 

"  Ready,"  said  Captain  Osborn,  "  how  do  you  think 
we  shall  have  the  wind  ?  " 

"  Why,  Captain  Osborn,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  don't 
think  it  will  be  steady  to  one  point  long.  It  may  at  first 
blow  hard  from  the  north,  but  it's  my  idea  it  will  shift 
soon  to  some  other  quarter,  and  blow  still  harder." 

"  What  think  you,  Mackintosh  ?" 

"  We'll  have  plenty  of  it,  and  a  long  steady  gale,  that's 


Masterman  Ready  15 

my  notion  ;  and  the  sooner  we  ship  the  dead  lights  the 
better." 

Mr  Seagrave,  with  William,  happened  to  be  standing  by 
at  the  time  of  this  conversation,  and  at  the  term  dead  lights 
Willy's  face  expressed  some  anxiety.  Ready  perceived  it, 
and  said — 

"  That's  a  foolish  name  they  give  to  the  shutters  which 
go  over  the  cabin-windows  to  prevent  the  water  from 
breaking  into  the  cabin  when  a  vessel  sails  before  the 
wind ;  you  know  we  had  them  on  the  last  time  that  we 
had  a  gale,  so  don't  you  go  down  to  frighten  your  mother 
by  telling  her  that  the  dead  lights  are  shipped." 

"  I  was  not  afraid,  Ready,  but  I  was  thinking  of  my 
mother,  I  acknowledge  ;  she  has  been  so  very  weak  these 
last  two  days." 

"  But,  Ready,"  said  Captain  Osborn,  "  why  do  you 
think  that  we  shall  have  a  shift  of  wind  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  ;  perhaps  I  was  wrong,"  replied 
the  old  man,  "  and  Mr  Mackintosh  is  right :  the  wind  does 
seen  to  come  steady  from  the  north-east,  that's  certain  ; " 
and  Ready  walked  away  to  the  binnacle,  and  looked  at  the 
compass.  Mr  Seagrave  and  William  then  went  below,  and 
Mr  Mackintosh  went  forward  to  give  his  orders.  As  soon 
as  they  were  all  gone,  Ready  went  up  again  to  Captain 
Osborn,  and  said — 

"  Captain  Osborn,  it's  not  for  me  to  contradict  Mr 
Mackintosh,  but  that's  of  little  consequence  in  a  time  like 
this  :  I  should  have  held  to  my  opinion,  had  it  not  been 
that  the  gentleman  passenger  and  his  son  were  standing 
by,  but  now,  as  the  coast  is  clear,  I  tell  you  that  we  shall 
have  something  worse  than  a  gale  of  wind.  I  have  been 
in  these  latitudes  before,  and  I  am  an  old  seaman  as  you 
know.  There's  something  in  the  air,  and  there  has  been 
something  during  the  last  three  days  of  calm,  which 
reminds  me  too  well  of  what  I  have  seen  here  before  ;  and 
I  am  sure  that  we  shall  have  little  better  than  a  hurricane, 
as  far  as  wind  goes — and  worse  in  one  point,  that  it  will 
last    much  longer    than  hurricanes  generally  do.     I  have 


1 6  Masterman  Ready 

been  watching,  and  even  the  birds  tell  me  so,  and  they  are 
told  by  their  nature,  which  is  never  mistaken.  That  calm 
has  been  nothing  more  than  a  repose  of  the  winds  previous 
to  their  being  roused  up  to  do  their  worst ;  and  that  is  my 
real  opinion." 

"  Well,  and  I'm  inclined  to  agree  with  you,  Ready,  so 
we  must  send  top-gallant  yards  down  on  deck,  and  all  the 
small  sails  and  lumber  out  of  the  tops.  Get  the  try-sail 
aft  and  bent,  and  lower  down  the  gaff.    I  will  go  forward." 

They  had  no  time  to  lose :  their  preparations  were 
hardly  complete  before  the  wind  had  settled  to  a  fierce 
gale  from  the  north-east.  The  sea  rose  rapidly  ;  topsail 
after  topsail  was  furled ;  and  by  dusk  the  Pacific  was 
flying  through  the  water  with  the  wind  on  her  quarter, 
under  reefed  foresail  and  storm  staysail.  It  was  with 
difficulty  that  three  men  at  the  wheel  could  keep  the  helm, 
such  were  the  blows  which  the  vessel  received  from  the 
heavy  seas  on  the  quarter.  Not  one  seaman  in  the  ship 
took  advantage  of  his  watch  below  to  go  to  sleep  that 
night,  careless  as  they  generally  are ;  the  storm  was  too 
dreadful.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  wind 
suddenly  subsided ;  it  was  but  for  a  minute  or  two,  and 
then  it  again  burst  on  the  vessel  from  another  quarter  of  the 
compass,  as  Ready  had  foretold,  splitting  the  foresail  into 
fragments,  which  lashed  and  flogged  the  wind  till  they 
were  torn  away  by  it,  and  carried  far  to  leeward.  The 
heavens  above  were  of  a  pitchy  darkness,  and  the  only 
light  was  from  the  creaming  foam  of  the  sea  on  every  side. 
The  shift  of  wind,  which  had  been  to  the  west-north-west, 
compelled  them  to  alter  the  course  of  the  vessel,  for  they 
had  no  chance  but  to  scud,  as  they  now  did,  under  bare 
poles  ;  but  in  consequence  of  the  sea  having  taken  its  run 
from  the  former  wind,  which  had  been  north-east,  it  was, 
as  sailors  call  it,  cross,  and  every  minute  the  waves  poured 
over  the  ship,  sweeping  all  before  their  weight  of  waters. 
One  poor  man  was  washed  overboard,  and  any  attempt 
made  to  save  him  would  have  been  unavailing.  Captain 
Osborn  was  standing  by  the  weather  gunnel,  holding  on 


Masterman  Ready  17 

by  one  of  the  belaying  pins,  when  he  said  to  Mackintosh, 
who  was  near  him — 

"  How  long  will  this  last,  think  you  ? " 

",  Longer  than  the  ship  will,"  replied  the  mate,  gravely. 

"I  should  hope  not,"  replied  the  captain;  *'  still  it 
cannot  look  worse.     What  do  you  think,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Far  more  fear  from  above  than  from  below  just  now," 
replied  Ready,  pointing  to  the  yard-arms  of  the  ship,  to 
each  of  which  were  little  balls  of  electric  matter  attached, 
flaring  out  to  a  point.  "  Look  at  those  two  clouds,  sir, 
rushing  at  each  other  ;  if  I " 

Ready  had  not  time  to  finish  what  he  would  have  said, 
before  a  blaze  of  light,  so  dazzling  that  it  left  them  all  in 
utter  darkness  for  some  seconds  afterwards,  burst  upon 
their  vision,  accompanied  with  a  peal  of  thunder  at  which 
the  whole  vessel  trembled  fore  and  aft.  A  crash — a  rush- 
ing forward — and  a  shriek  were  heard,  and  when  they  had 
recovered  their  eyesight,  the  foremast  had  been  rent  by 
the  lightning  as  if  it  had  been  a  lath,  and  the  ship  was  in 
flames  :  the  men  at  the  wheel,  blinded  by  the  lightning,  as 
well  as  appalled,  could  not  steer ;  the  ship  broached  to — 
away  went  the  mainmast  over  the  side — and  all  was  wreck, 
confusion,  and  dismay. 

Fortunately  the  heavy  seas  which  poured  over  the  fore- 
castle soon  extinguished  the  flames,  or  they  all  must  have 
perished ;  but  the  ship  lay  now  helpless,  and  at  the  mercy 
of  the  waves  beating  violently  against  the  wrecks  of  the 
masts  which  floated  to  leeward,  but  were  still  held  fast  to 
the  vessel  by  their  rigging.  As  soon  as  they  could  recover 
from  the  shock,  Ready  and  the  first  mate  hastened  to  the 
wheel  to  try  to  get  the  ship  before  the  wind  ;  but  this  they 
could  not  do,  as,  the  foremast  and  mainmast  being  gone, 
the  mizenmast  prevented  her  paying  off  and  answering  to 
the  helm.  Ready,  having  persuaded  two  of  the  men  to 
take  the  helm,  made  a  sign  to  Mackintosh  (for  now  the 
wind  was  so  loud  that  they  could  not  hear  each  other 
speak),  and,  going  aft,  they  obtained  axes,  and  cut  away 
the  mizen-rigging  •,  the  mizen-topmast  and  head  of  the 
R  B 


1 8  Masterman  Ready 

mizenmast  went  over  the  side,  and  then  the  stump  of  the 
foremast  was  sufficient  to  get  the  ship  before  the  wind 
again.  Still  there  was  much  delay  and  much  confusion 
before  they  could  clear  away  the  wreck  of  the  masts  ;  and, 
as  soon  as  they  could  make  enquiry,  they  found  that  four 
of  the  men  had  been  killed  by  the  lightning  and  the  fall 
of  the  foremast,  and  there  were  now  but  eight  remaining, 
besides  Captain  Osborn  and  his  two  mates. 


Chapter  V 

Sailors  are  never  discouraged  by  danger  as  long  as  they 
have  any  chance  of  relieving  themselves  by  their  own 
exertions.  The  loss  of  their  shipmates,  so  instantaneously 
summoned  away, — the  wrecked  state  of  the  vessel, — the 
wild  surges  burying  them  beneath  their  angry  waters,-^- 
the  howling  of  the  wind,  the  dazzling  of  the  lightning, 
and  the  pealing  of  the  thunder,  did  not  prevent  them  from 
doing  what  their  necessity  demanded.  Mackintosh,  the 
first  mate,  rallied  the  men,  and  contrived  himself  to  fix  a 
block  and  strap  to  the  still  smoking  stump  of  the  foremast ; 
a  rope  was  rove  through  the  block,  and  the  main*top- 
gallant  sail  hoisted,  so  that  the  vessel  might  run  faster 
before  the  gale,  and  answer  her  helm  better  than  she  did. 

The  ship  was  again  before  the  wind,  and  comparatively 
safe,  notwithstanding  the  heavy  blows  she  now  received 
from  the  pursuing  waves.  Night  again  came  on,  but  there 
was  no  repose,  and  the  men  were  worn  out  with  exposure 
and  fatigue.  Captain  Osborn  and  Ready  had  often  gone 
down  to  afford  some  assistance  and  comfort  to  the  pas- 
sengers in  the  cabin.  Mrs  Seagrave,  worn  out  with  fear 
and  anxiety,  had  become  seriously  unwell,  and  her  husband 
watched  her ;  the  children  were  persuaded  to  remain  itt 
their  beds,  and  the  infant  never  left  the  arms  of  the  patient 
and  unwearied  Juno. 

The  third  day  of  the  gale  dawned,  but  the  appearances 


Masterman  Ready  19 

were  as  alarming  as  ever :  the  continual  breaking  of  the 
seas  over  the  stern  had  washed  away  the  binnacles,  and  it 
was  impossible  now  to  be  certain  of  the  course  the  ship 
had  been  steered,  or  the  distance  which  had  been  run  ;  the 
leaky  state  of  the  vessel  proved  how  much  she  had  already 
suffered  from  the  violent  shocks  which  she  had  received, 
and  the  certainty  was  apparent,  that  if  the  weather  did  not 
abate,  she  could  not  possibly  withstand  the  force  of  the 
waves  much  longer. 

The  countenance  of  Captain  Osborn  showed  great 
anxiety :  he  had  a  heavy  responsibility  on  his  shoulders — 
he  might  lose  a  valuable  ship,  and  still  more  valuable 
cargo,  even  if  they  did  not  all  lose  their  lives ;  for  they 
were  now  approaching  where  the  sea  was  studded  with. 
low  coral  islands,  upon  which  they  might  be  thrown  by 
the  waves  and  wind,  without  having  the  slightest  power 
to  prevent  it  in  their  present  disabled  condition. 

Ready  was  standing  by  him  when  Captain  Osborn 
said — 

"  I  don't  much  like  this,  Ready ;  we  are  now  running; 
on  danger,  and  have  no  help  for  it." 

"  That's  true  enough,"  replied  Ready :  "  we  have  no- 
help  for  it ;  it  is  God's  will,  sir,  and  his  will  be  done." 

"  Amen,"  replied  Captain  Osborn  solemnly ;  and  then 
he  continued,  after  a  pause,  "  There  were  many  captains 
who  envied  me  when  I  obtained  command  of  this  fine 
ship, — would  they  change  with  me  now  ? " 

"I  should  rather  think  not,  Captain  Osborn,  but  you: 
never  know  what  the  day  may  bring  forth.  You  sailed 
with  this  vessel,  full  of  hope — you  now,  not  without 
reason,  feel  something  approaching  to  despair;  but  who 
knows  ?  it  may  please  the  Almighty  to  rebuke  those  angry 
winds  and  waves,  and  to-morrow  we  may  again  hope  for 
the  best ;  at  all  events,  you  have  done  your  duty — no  man 
can  do  more.  I  do  wish  that  Mr  Mackintosh  would  not 
swear  so ;  I  always  think  that  the  winds  blow  harder,  as- 
if  angry  that  their  Divine  Master  should  be  defied  by  such, 
poor  worms  as  we  are." 


20  Masterman  Ready 

"  You  are  right,"  replied  Captain  Osborn ;  "  but  hold 
hard,  Ready,  that  sea's  aboard  of  us." 

Ready  had  just  time  to  cling  with  both  hands  to  the 
belaying  pins  when  the  sea  poured  over  the  vessel,  with  a 
volume  of  water  which  for  some  time  swept  them  off  their 
legs  :  they  clung  on  firmly,  and  at  last  recovered  their  feet. 

"  She  started  a  timber  or  two  with  that  blow,  I  rather 
think,"  said  Ready,  as  he  took  off  his  hat  to  shake  the 
water  from  it. 

"  I'm  afraid  so;  the  best  vessel  ever  built  could  not 
stand  such  shocks  long,"  replied  Captain  Osborn;  "and 
at  present,  with  our  weak  crew,  I  do  not  see  that  we  can 
get  more  sail  upon  her." 

All  that  night  the  ship  flew  in  darkness  before  the 
gale.  At  daybreak  the  wind  abated,  and  the  sea  went 
down :  the  ship  was,  however,  still  kept  before  the  wind, 
for  she  had  suffered  too  much  to  venture  to  put  her  broad- 
side to  the  sea.  Preparations  were  now  made  for  getting 
up  jury-masts ;  and  the  worn-out  seamen  were  busily 
employed,  under  the  direction  of  Captain  Osborn  and  his 
two  mates,  when  Mr  Seagrave  and  William  came  upon 
deck. 

William  stared  about  him  :  he  perceived,  to  his  astonish- 
ment, that  the  tall  masts,  with  all  their  rigging  and  sails, 
had  disappeared,  and  that  the  whole  deck  was  in  a  state 
of  confusion  and  disorder. 

"  See,  my  child,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  "  the  wreck  and 
devastation  which  are  here.  See  how  the  pride  of  man  is 
humbled  before  the  elements  of  the  great  Jehovah." 

"Ay,  Master  Willy,"  said  old  Ready,  "look  around 
you,  as  you  well  may.  Do  you  remember  the  verses  in 
the  Bible  ? — if  not,  I  remember  them  well,  for  I  have 
often  read  them,  and  have  often  felt  the  truth  of  them : 
'  They  that  go  down  into  the  sea  in  ships,  that  do  business 
in  great  waters,  these  see  the  works  of  the  Lord,  and  his 
wonders  in  the  deep.' " 

"  But,  father,"  said  Willy  after  a  pause,  "  how  shall  we 
ever  get  to  Sydney  without  masts  or  sails  ? " 


Masterman  Ready  21 

"Why,  Master  William,"  replied  Ready,  "we  must 
do  what  we  can :  we  sailors  are  never  much  at  a  loss,  and 
I  daresay  before  night  you  will  find  us  under  some  sort  of 
sail  again.  We  have  lost  our  great  masts,  so  we  must  put 
up  jury-masts,  as  we  call  them,  that  is,  little  ones,  and 
little  sails  upon  them ;  and,  if  it  pleases  God,  we  shall  see 
Sydney  yet.  How  is  madam,  sir  ? "  continued  Ready  to 
Mr  Seagrave  ;  "is  she  better  ?  " 

"  I  fear  she  is  very  weak  and  ill,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave ; 
"nothing  but  fine  weather  will  do  her  any  good.  Do 
you  think  that  it  will  be  fine  now  ? " 

"Why,  sir,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  fear  we  shall  have 
more  of  it  yet :  I  have  not  given  my  thoughts  to  the 
captain,  as  I  might  be  mistaken  ;  but  still  I  think  so — I've 
not  been  fifty  years  at  sea  without  learning  something.  I 
don't  like  the  gathering  of  that  bank  there,  Mr  Seagrave, 
and  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  it  were  to  blow  again  from  the 
very  same  quarter,  and  that  before  dark." 

"  God's  will  be  done,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,  "but  I  am 
very  fearful  about  my  poor  wife,  who  is  completely  worn 
to  a  shadow." 

"  I  shouldn't  think  so  much  about  that,  sir,  as  I  really 
never  knew  of  people  dying  that  way,  although  they  suffer 
much.  Master  William,  do  you  know  that  we  have  lost 
some  of  our  men  since  you  were  down  below  ?  " 

"  No — I  heard  the  steward  say  something  outside  about 
the  foremast ;  but  I  did  not  like  to  ask,  as  mamma  was  so 
frightened." 

"  You  were  a  kind  boy  for  that,  Master  William  ;  but 
hear  me, — we  have  lost  five  of  our  smartest  and  best  men 
— Wilson  was  washed  overboard — Fennings  and  Masters 
struck  dead  with  the  lightning — and  Jones  and  Emery 
crushed  by  the  fall  of  the  foremast.  Master  William,  did 
any  of  these  men  imagine,  when  they  left  the  Cape,  or 
indeed  the  day  or  the  hour  before  it  happened,  that  their 
souls  were  to  be  required  of  them,  and  their  bodies  should 
be  now  floating  hundreds  of  miles  from  the  land  ?  You 
are  young,  Master  Willy,  but  you  cannot  think  too  early 


22  Masterman  Ready 

of  your  Maker,  or  call  to  mind  what  they  say  in  the  burial 
service, — '  In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death.' " 

"  Thank  you,  Ready,  thank  you  for  the  lesson  you  have 
given  my  son,"  said  Mr  Seagrave  ;  "  and  William,  treasure 
it  up  in  your  memory." 

"  Yes,  Master  William,  they  are  the  words  of  an  old 
man  who  has  seen  many  and  many  a  one  who  was  full 
of  youth  and  spirits  called  away  before  him,  and  who 
is  grateful  to  God  that  he  has  been  pleased  to  preserve 
his  life,  and  allow  him  to  amend  his  ways.  We  must  seek 
the  Lord  in  our  youth,  and  then  we  shall  be  prepared  when 
he  thinks  fit  to  summon  us  away." 

"  I  have  been  thinking,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  after  a 
silence  of  a  minute  or  two,  "  that  a  sailor  has  no  right  to 
marry." 

"  I've  always  thought  so,  sir,"  replied  Ready  ;  "  and 
I  dare  say  many  a  poor  deserted  sailor's  wife,  when  she 
has  listened  to  the  wind  and  rain  in  her  lonely  bed,  has 
thought  the  same." 

"With  my  permission,"  continued  Mr  Seagrave,  "my 
boys  shall  never  go  to  sea  if  there  is  any  other  profession 
to  be  found  for  them." 

"  Well,  Mr  Seagrave,  they  do  say  that  it's  no  use 
baulking  a  lad  if  he  wishes  to  go  to  sea,  and  that  if  he 
is  determined,  he  must  go :  now  I  think  otherwise — I 
think  a  parent  has  a  right  to  say  no,  if  he  pleases,  upon 
that  point ;  for  you  see,  sir,  a  lad,  at  the  early  age  at 
which  he  goes  to  sea,  does  not  know  his  own  mind. 
Every  high-spirited  boy  wishes  to  go  to  sea — it's  quite 
natural ;  but  if  the  most  of  them  were  to  speak  the  truth, 
it  is  not  that  they  so  much  want  to  go  to  sea,  as  that  they 
want  to  go  from  school  or  from  home,  where  they  are 
under  the  control  of  their  masters  or  their  parents." 

"  Very  true,  Ready  ;  they  wish  to  be,  as  they  consider 
they  will  be,  independent." 

"  And  a  pretty  mistake  they  make  of  it,  sir.  Why, 
there  is  not  a  greater  slave  in  the  world  than  a  boy  who 
goes  to  sea,  for  the  first  few  years  after  his  shipping :  for 


Masterman  Ready  23 

one  they  are  corrected  on  shore,  they  are  punished  ten 
times  at  sea,  and  they  never  again  meet  with  the  love  and 
affection  they  have  left  behind  them.  It  is  a  hard  life, 
and  there  have  been  but  few  who  have  not  bitterly 
repented  it,  and  who  would  not  have  returned,  like  the 
prodigal  son,  and  cast  themselves  at  their  father's  feet,  only 
that  they  have  been  ashamed." 

"  That's  the  truth,  Ready,  and  it  is  on  that  account 
that  I  consider  that  a  parent  is  justified  in  refusing  his 
consent  to  his  son  going  to  sea,  if  he  can  properly  provide 
for  him  in  any  other  profession.  There  never  will  be 
any  want  of  sailors,  for  there  always  will  be  plenty 
of  poor  lads  whose  friends  can  do  no  better  for  them ;  and 
in  that  case  the  seafaring  life  is  a  good  one  to  choose,  as 
it  requires  no  other  capital  for  their  advancement  than 
activity  and  courage." 

"  Exactly  what  1  thought  myself,  sir,"  replied  Ready. 
"  May  I  ask  how  Master  Tommy  and  the  other  children 
are,  and  poor  Juno  ? " 

"  They  are  all  quite  well,  although  they  have  been 
a  little  bruised  with  sliding  about,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  5 
"  but  I  must  stay  here  no  longer,  Mrs  Seagrave  will 
want  me  in  the  cabin.     "William,  will  you  stay  on  deck  ?  " 

"  Better  not,  Master  William,  we  are  all  too  busy, 
and  I  cannot  look  after  you  now  :  there'll  be  no  sleep 
this  night  for  any  of  us,  fair  or  foul ;  we  are  weak-handed 
now.     So  good-night,  gentlemen,  both  of  you." 


Chapter  VI 

Mr  Seagrave  and  "William  went  down  below  into  the 
cabin,  where  they  found  that  there  was  plenty  of  employ- 
ment ;  the  steward  had  brought  a  basin  of  very  hot 
pea-soup  for  the  children.  Tommy,  who  was  sitting 
up  in  the  bed-place  with  his  sister,  had  snatched  it  out 
of  Juno's  left  hand,  for  she  held  the  baby  with  the  other, 


24  Masterman  Ready 

and  in  so  doing,  had  thrown  it  over  Caroline,  who  was 
screaming  ;  while  Juno,  in  her  hurry  to  assist  Caroline, 
had  slipped  down  on  the  deck  with  the  baby,  who  was 
also  crying  with  fright,  although  not  hurt.  Unfortunately, 
Juno  had  fallen  down  upon  Vixen  the  terrier,  who  in 
return  had  bitten  her  in  the  leg,  which  had  made  Juno 
also  cry  out ;  while  Mrs  Seagrave  was  hanging  her  head 
out  of  her  standing  bed-place,  frightened  out  of  her  wits 
at  the  accident,  but  unable  to  be  of  any  assistance. 
Fortunately,  Mr  Seagrave  came  down  just  in  time  to 
pick  up  Juno  and  the  baby,  and  then  tried  to  comfort 
little  Caroline,  who  after  all  was  not  much  scalded,  as 
the  soup  had  had  time  to  cool. 

"  Massa  Tommy  is  a  very  naughty  boy,"  cried  Juno, 
rubbing  her  leg.  Master  Tommy  thought  it  better  to 
say  nothing — he  was  duly  admonished — the  steward 
cleaned  up  the  mess,  and  order  was  at  length  restored. 

In  the  meantime,  they  were  not  idle  upon  deck :  the 
carpenter  was  busy  fixing  a  step  for  one  of  the  spare 
topmasts  instead  of  a  mainmast,  and  the  men  were  fitting 
the  rigging ;  the  ship  unfortunately  had  sprung  a  leak, 
and  four  hands  at  the  pumps  interfered  very  much  with 
their  task.  As  Ready  had  prophesied,  before  night  the 
gale  blew,  the  sea  rose  again  with  the  gale,  and  the 
leaking  of  the  vessel  increased  so  much,  that  all  other 
labour  was  suspended  for  that  at  the  pump.  For  two 
more  days  did  the  storm  continue,  during  which  time 
the  crew  were  worn  out  with  fatigue — they  could  pump 
no  longer :  the  ship,  as  she  rolled,  proved  that  she  had 
a  great  deal  of  water  in  her  hold — when,  melancholy  as 
were  their  prospects  already,  a  new  disaster  took  place, 
which  was  attended  with  most  serious  results.  Captain 
Osborn  was  on  the  forecastle  giving  some  orders  to  the 
men,  when  the  strap  of  the  block  which  hoisted  up  the 
maintop-gallant  yard  on  the  stump  of  the  foremast  gave 
way,  the  yard  and  sail  came  down  on  the  deck,  and  struck 
him  senseless.  As  long  as  Captain  Osborn  commanded 
them,  the  sailors  had  so  high  an  opinion  of  his  abilities 


Masterman  Ready  25 

as  a  seaman,  and  were  so  encouraged  by  his  cheerful 
disposition,  that  they  performed  their  work  well  and 
cheerfully ;  but  now  that  he  was,  if  not  killed,  at  all 
events  senseless  and  incapable  of  action,  they  no  longer 
felt  themselves  under  control.  Mackintosh  was  too  much 
disliked  by  the  seamen  to  allow  his  words  to  have  any 
weight  with  them.  They  were  regardless  of  his  in- 
junctions or  requests,  and  they  now  consulted  among 
themselves. 

"  The  gale  is  broke,  my  men,  and  we  shall  have  fine 
weather  now,"  observed  Ready,  going  up  to  the  sailors 
on  the  forecastle.     "  The  wind  is  going  down  fast." 

"  Yes,"  replied  one  of  the  men,  "  and  the  ship  is  going 
down  fast,  that's  quite  as  certain." 

"  A  good  spell  at  the  pumps  would  do  us  some  good 
now,"  replied  Ready.     "What  d'ye  say,  my  lads  ?" 

"  A  glass  of  grog  or  two  would  do  us  more,"  replied 
the  seaman.  "What  d'ye  say,  my  boys  ?  I  don't  think 
that  the  captain  would  refuse  us,  poor  fellow,  if  he  could 
speak." 

"  What  do  you  mean  to  do,  my  lads  ? "  enquired 
Mackintosh  ;    "  not  get  drunk,  I  hope  ? " 

"  Why  not  ?  "  observed  another  of  the  men  ;  "  the  ship 
must  go  down  soon." 

"Perhaps  she  may — I  will  not  deny  it,"  said  Mack- 
intosh ;  "  but  that  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  be 
saved :  now,  if  you  get  drunk,  there  is  no  chance  of 
anyone  being  saved,  and  my  life  is  precious  to  me.  I'm 
ready  to  join  with  you  in  anything  you  please,  and  you 
may  decide  what  is  to  be  done ;  but  get  drunk  you  shall 
not,  if  I  can  help  it,  that's  certain." 

"  And  how  can  you  help  it  ? "  replied  one  of  the  seamen, 
surlily. 

"  Because  two  resolute  men  can  do  a  great  deal — I  may 
say  three,  for  in  this  instance  Ready  will  be  of  my  side, 
and  I  can  call  to  my  assistance  the  cabin  passenger — 
recollect  the  firearms  are  all  in  the  cabin.  But  why 
should  we  quarrel  ? — say  at  once  what  you  intend  to  do  ; 


26  Masterman  Ready 

and  if  you  have  not  made  up  your  minds,  will  you  listen 
to  what  I  propose  ? " 

As  Mackintosh's  courage  and  determination  were  well 
known,  the  seamen  again  consulted  together,  and  then 
asked  him  what  he  proposed. 

"  "We  have  one  good  boat  left,  the  new  yawl  on  the 
booms :  the  others,  as  you  know,  are  washed  away,  with 
the  exception  of  the  little  boat  astern,  which  is  useless, 
as  she  is  knocked  almost  to  pieces.  Now  we  cannot  be 
very  far  from  some  of  the  islands,  indeed  I  think  we  are 
among  them  now.  Let  us  fit  out  the  boat  with  everything 
which  we  require,  go  about  our  work  steadily  and  quietly, 
drink  as  much  grog  now  as  will  not  hurt  us,  and  take  a 
good  provision  of  it  with  us.  The  boat  is  complete  with 
her  masts,  sails,  and  oars ;  and  it's  very  hard  if  we  do 
not  save  ourselves  somewhere.  Ready,  do  I  give  good 
advice  or  not  ? " 

"  You  give  very  good  advice,  Mackintosh — only  what 
is  to  become  of  the  cabin  passengers,  the  women,  and 
children  ?  and  are  you  going  to  leave  poor  Captain 
Osborn,  who  lies  there  abaft,  breathless  and  insensible  ? 
or  what  do  you  mean  to  do  ?  " 

"  "We  won't  leave  the  captain,"  said  one  of  the  seamen. 

"  No — no  !  "  exclaimed  the  others. 

"  And  the  passengers  ?  " 

"  Very  sorry  for  them,"  replied  the  former  spokesman ; 
■"  but  we  shall  have  enough  to  do  to  save  our  own  lives  ; 
the  boat  is  not  over  large." 

"Well,  my  lads,  I  agree  with  you,"  said  Mackintosh. 
*l  Charity  begins  at  home.  What  do  you  say,  then  ? — 
shall  it  be  so  ? " 

"Yes,"  replied  the  seamen,  unanimously;  and  Ready 
knew  that  it  was  in  vain  to  expostulate.  They  now  set 
about  preparing  the  boat,  and  providing  for  their  wants. 
Biscuits,  salt  pork,  two  or  three  small  casks  of  water, 
and  a  barrel  of  rum  were  collected  at  the  gangway ; 
Mackintosh  brought  up  his  quadrant  and  a  compass,  some 
muskets,    powder    and    shot ;    the    carpenter,    with    the 


Masterman  Ready  27 

assistance  of  another  man,  cut  away  the  ship's  bulwarks 
down  to  the  gunnel,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  launch  the 
boat  overboard,  for  they  could  not  of  course  hoist  her 
out  now  that  the  masts  were  gone.  In  an  hour  every- 
thing was  prepared.  A  long  rope  was  made  fast  to  the 
boat,  which  was  brought  to  the  gunnel  ready  for  launch- 
ing overboard,  and  then  the  ship's  broadside  was  brought 
to  the  wind.  Ready  had  taken  no  part  in  their  labour  ; 
he  had  once  or  twice  sounded  the  well,  to  ascertain  if 
the  water  gained  upon  the  ship,  and  then  sat  down  by 
the  side  of  Captain  Osborn,  who  still  remained  insensible 
from  the  blow  which  he  had  received  on  his  head.  As 
the  ship  was  brought  to  the  wind  Mr  Seagrave  came  on 
deck  and  looked  around  him. 

He  perceived  the  boat  ready  for  launching,  the 
provisions  and  water  at  the  gangway,  the  ship  brought 
to  the  wind,  and  rolling  slowly  to  the  heave  of  the  sea ; 
at  last  he  saw  Ready  sitting  down  by  Captain  Osborn, 
who  was  apparently  dead.  "  What  is  all  this,  Ready  ?  " 
enquired  Seagrave.  "  Are  they  going  to  leave  the  ship  ? 
have  they  killed  Captain  Osborn  ?  " 

"No,  sir — not  quite  so  bad  as  that.  Poor  Captain 
Osborn  was  struck  down  by  the  fall  of  the  yard,  and  has 
been  insensible  ever  since  :  but,  as  to  the  other  matter, 
I  fear  that  is  decided  ;  you  see  they  are  launching  the  boat." 

"  But  my  poor  wife,  she  will  never  be  able  to  go — she 
cannot  move — she  is  so  ill !  " 

"I'm  afraid,  Mr  Seagrave,  that  they  have  no  idea  of 
taking  either  you,  or  your  wife,  or  your  children,  with 
them." 

"What!  leave  us  here  to  perish?  Merciful  Heaven! 
how  cruel — how  barbarous  !  " 

"It  is  not  kind,  Mr  Seagrave,  but  still  you  see  it  is  the 
law  of  nature.  When  it  is  a  question  of  life,  it  is  every  one 
for  himself,  for  life  is  sweet :  they  are  not  more  unkind 
than  they  would  be  to  each  other,  if  there  were  too  many 
for  the  boat  to  hold.  I've  seen  all  this  before  in  my  time," 
replied  Ready,  gravely. 


28  Masterman  Ready 

"  My  wife  !  my  children  !  "  cried  Mr  Seagrave,  covering 
his  face  with  his  hands.  "But  I  will  speak  to  them," 
continued  he  after  a  pause  ;  "  surely  they  will  listen  to 
the  dictates  of  humanity ;  at  all  events  Mr  Mackintosh 
will  have  some  power  over  them.  Don't  you  think  so, 
Ready  ? " 

"  Well,  Mr  Seagrave,  if  I  must  speak,  I  confess  to  you 
that  there  is  not  a  harder  heart  among  them  than  that 
of  Mr  Mackintosh,  and  it's  useless  speaking  to  him  or 
any  one  of  them ;  and  you  must  not  be  too  severe  upon 
them  neither  :  the  boat  is  small,  and  could  not  hold  more 
people  with  the  provisions  which  they  take  with  them — 
that  is  the  fact.  If  they  were  to  take  you  and  your 
family  into  the  boat,  it  might  be  the  cause  of  all  perishing 
together;  if  I  thought  otherwise  I  would  try  what  I 
could  do  to  persuade  them,  but  it  is  useless." 

"What  must  be  done  then,  Ready  ? " 

"  We  must  put  our  trust  in  a  merciful  God,  Mr  Seagrave, 
who  will  dispose  of  us  as  he  thinks  fit." 

"  We  must.     What !  do  not  you  go  with  them  ? " 

"  No,  Mr  Seagrave.  I  have  been  thinking  about  it  this 
last  hour,  and  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  remain  with  you. 
They  intend  to  take  poor  Captain  Osborn  with  them,  and 
give  him  a  chance,  and  have  offered  to  take  me;  but  I 
shall  stay  here." 

"  To  perish  ?"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,  with  surprise. 

"  As  God  pleases,  Mr  Seagrave.  I  am  an  old  man,  and 
it  is  of  little  consequence  ;  and  I  hope  that  I  am  a  prepared 
man  as  far  as  I  have  been  able.  I  tell  you,  Mr  Seagrave, 
I  think  much  more  of  your  children  than  I  do  for  myself. 
I  care  little  whether  I  am  taken  away  a  year  or  two  sooner, 
but  I  do  not  like  to  see  blossoms  cut  off  in  early  spring :  I 
may  be  of  use  if  I  remain,  for  I've  an  old  head  upon  my 
shoulders,  and  I  could  not  leave  you  all  to  perish  when 
you  might  be  saved  if  you  only  knew  how  to  act.  But  here 
the  seamen  come — the  boat  is  all  ready,  and  they  will  now 
take  poor  Captain  Osborn  with  them." 

The  sailors  came  aft,  and  lifted  up  the  still  insensible 


Masterman  Ready  29 

captain.  As  they  were  going  away,  one  of  them  said, 
"  Come,  Ready,  there's  no  time  to  lose." 

"Never  mind  me,  Williams  ;  I  shall  stick  to  the  ship," 
replied  Ready.  "I  wish  you  success  with  all  my  heart: 
and,  Mr  Mackintosh,  I  have  but  one  promise  to  exact  from 
you,  and  I  hope  you  will  not  refuse  me  ;  which  is,  that  if 
you  are  saved,  you  will  then  not  forget  those  you  leave 
here  on  board,  and  take  measures  for  their  being  searched 
for  among  the  islands." 

"Nonsense,  Ready!  come  into  the  boat,"  replied  the 
first  mate. 

"  I  shall  stay  here,  Mr  Mackintosh  ;  and  I  only  beg  that 
you  will  promise  me  what  I  ask.  Acquaint  Mr  Seagrave's 
friends  with  what  has  happened,  and  where  it  is  most  likely 
we  may  be  found,  if  it  please  God  to  save  us  :  that  is  all 
that  is  necessary.     Do  you  promise  me  that  ? " 

"  Yes  I  do,  Ready,  if  you  are  determined  to  stay  :  but," 
continued  he,  going  up  to  Ready,  and  whispering  to  him, 
"  It  is  madness  : — come  away,  man  !  " 

"Good-bye,  Mr  Mackintosh,"  replied  Ready,  extending 
his  hand.     "  You  will  keep  your  promise  ?  " 

After  much  further  expostulation  on  the  part  of  Mack- 
intosh and  the  seamen,  to  which  Ready  gave  a  deaf  ear, 
the  boat  was  pushed  off,  and  they  made  sail  to  the  north- 
east. 


Chapter  VII 

For  some  time  after  the  boat  had  shoved  off  from  the  ship, 
old  Ready  remained  with  his  arms  folded,  watching  it  in 
silence.  Mr  Seagrave  stood  by  him ;  his  heart  was  too 
full  for  utterance,  for  he  imagined  that  as  the  boat  increased 
her  distance  from  the  vessel,  so  did  every  ray  of  hope 
depart,  and  that  his  wife  and  children,  himself,  and  the  old 
man  who  was  by  his  side,  were  doomed  to  perish.  His 
countenance  was  that  of  a  man  in  utter  despair.  At  last 
old  Ready  spoke. 


30  Masterman  Ready 

M  They  think  that  they  will  be  saved  and  that  we  must 
perish,  Mr  Seagrave  ;  they  forget  that  there  is  a  Power 
above,  who  will  himself  decide  that  point — a  power  com- 
pared to  which  the  efforts  of  weak  man  are  as  nought." 

"  True,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,  in  a  low  voice ;  "  but 
still  what  chance  we  can  have  on  a  sinking  ship,  with  so 
many  helpless  creatures  around  us,  I  confess  that  I  cannot 
imagine." 

"  We  must  do  our  best,  and  submit  to  his  will,"  replied 
Ready,  who  then  went  aft,  and  shifted  the  helm,  so  as  to 
put  the  ship  again  before  the  wind. 

As  the  old  man  had  foretold  to  the  seamen  before  they 
quitted  the  vessel,  the  gale  was  now  over,  and  the  sea  had 
gone  down  considerably.  The  ship,  however,  dragged 
but  slowly  through  the  water,  and  after  a  short  time  Ready 
lashed  the  wheel,  and  went  forward.  On  his  return  to 
the  quarter-deck,  he  found  Mr  Seagrave  had  thrown  him- 
self down  (apparently  in  a  state  of  despair)  upon  the  sail 
on  which  Captain  Osborn  had  been  laid  after  his  accident. 

"  If  you  are  praying,  Mr  Seagrave,  I  am  sorry  to 
interrupt  you,  but  if  you  are  not,  but  are  overcome  with 
your  situation,  perhaps  I  may  be  able  to  give  you  some 
little  hope." 

"  I  have  been  praying,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,  raising 
himself  up,  "  and,  since  that,  I  have  been  trying  to  collect 
my  thoughts,  which  I  acknowledge  to  be  very  confused. 
The  great  pang  will  be  to  communicate  to  my  wife  our 
hopeless  situation." 

"  If  I  thought  our  situation  hopeless,"  replied  Ready, 
"  I  would  candidly  say  so  ;  but  there  always  is  hope,  even 
at  the  very  worst,— and  there  always  ought  to  be  trust  in 
that  God  without  whose  knowledge  not  a  sparrow  falls 
to  the  ground.  But,  Mr  Seagrave,  I  shall  speak  as  a 
seaman,  and  tell  you  what  our  probabilities  are.  The  ship 
is  half-full  of  water,  from  her  seams  having  opened  by  the 
straining  in  the  gale,  and  the  heavy  blows  which  she 
received ;  but,  now  that  the  gale  has  abated,  she  has 
recovered  herself  very  much.     I  have  sounded  the  well, 


Masterman  Ready  31 

and  find  that  she  has  not  made  many  inches  within  the  last 
two  hours,  and  probably,  as  she  closes  her  seams,  will 
make  less.  If,  therefore,  it  pleases  God  that  the  fine 
weather  should  continue,  there  is  no  fear  of  the  vessel 
sinking  under  us  for  some  little  time  ;  and  as  we  are  now 
amongst  the  islands,  it  is  not  impossible,  nay  it  is  very 
probable,  that  we  may  be  able  to  run  her  ashore,  and  thus 
save  our  lives.  I  thought  of  all  this  when  I  refused  to  go 
in  the  boat,  and  I  thought  also,  Mr  Seagrave,  that  if  you 
were  to  have  been  deserted  by  me  as  well  as  by  all  the 
rest,  you  would  have  been  unable  yourself  to  take  advan- 
tage of  any  chances  which  might  turn  up  in  your  favour, 
and  therefore  I  have  remained,  hoping,  under  God's 
providence,  to  be  the  means  of  assisting  you  and  your 
family  in  this  sore  position.  I  think  now  it  would  be 
better  that  you  should  go  down  into  the  cabin,  and  with 
a  cheerful  face  encourage  poor  Mrs  Seagrave  with  the 
change  in  the  weather,  and  the  hopes  of  arriving  in  some 
place  of  safety.  If  she  does  not  know  that  the  men  have 
quitted  the  ship,  do  not  tell  her  ;  say  that  the  steward 
is  with  the  other  men,  which  will  be  true  enough,  and, 
if  possible,  leave  her  in  the  dark  as  to  what  has  taken 
place ;  Master  William  can  be  trusted,  and  if  you  will 
send  him  here  to  me,  I  will  talk  to  him.  What  do  you 
think,  Mr  Seagrave  ?  " 

"  I  hardly  know  what  to  think,  Ready,  or  how  suffi- 
ciently to  thank  you  for  your  self-devotion,  if  I  may  so 
term  it,  in  this  exigency.  That  your  advice  is  excellent, 
and  that  I  shall  follow  it,  you  may  be  assured ;  and, 
should  we  be  saved  from  the  death  which  at  present  stares 
lis  in  the  face,  my  gratitude " 

"  Do  not  speak  of  that,  sir,  I  am  an  old  man  with  few 
wants,  and  whose  life  is  of  little  use  now.  All  I  wish 
to  feel  is,  that  I  am  trying  to  do  my  duty  in  that  situation 
into  which  it  has  pleased  God  to  call  me.  What  can  this 
world  offer  to  one  who  has  roughed  it  all  his  life,  and 
who  has  neither  kith  nor  kin  that  he  knows  of  to  care 
about  his  death  ?     Thank  you  kindly,  Mr  Seagrave,  never- 


32  Masterman  Ready 

theless  :  now  I  think  you  had  better  go  down,  and  I  will 
look  about  me  a  little."  Mr  Seagrave  pressed  the  hand 
of  Ready,  and  went  down  without  making  any  reply. 
He  found  that  his  wife  had  been  asleep  for  the  last  hour, 
and  was  not  yet  awake.  The  children  were  also  quiet 
in  their  beds.  Juno  and  William  were  the  only  two  who 
were  sitting  up. 

"William  made  a  sign  to  his  father  that  his  mother  was 
asleep,  and  then  said  in  a  whisper,  "  I  did  not  like  to  leave 
the  cabin  while  you  were  on  deck,  but  the  steward  has  not 
been  here  these  two  hours  :  he  went  to  milk  the  goat  for 
baby  and  has  not  returned.  We  have  had  no  breakfast, 
none  of  us." 

"  William,  go  on  deck,"  replied  his  father ;  "  Ready 
wishes  to  speak  to  you — I  will  stay  here." 

William  went  on  deck  to  Ready,  who  soon  explained  to 
him  the  position  in  which  they  were  placed ;  he  pointed 
out  to  him  the  necessity  of  his  doing  all  he  could  to  assist 
his  father  and  him,  and  not  to  alarm  his  mother  in  her 
precarious  state  of  health.  William,  who,  as  it  may  be 
expected,  looked  very  grave,  did,  however,  immediately 
enter  into  Ready's  views,  and  proceeded  to  do  his  best. 
"Now,  Ready,"  said  he,  "you  know  the  steward  has 
left  with  the  other  men,  and  when  my  mother  wakes  she 
will  ask  why  the  children  have  had  no  breakfast.  What 
can  I  do?" 

"  I  don't  know  •,  but  I  think  you  can  milk  one  of  the 
goats  if  I  show  you  how,  while  I  go  and  get  the  other 
things  ready ;  I  can  leave  the  deck,  for  you  see  the  ship 
steers  herself  very  nicely  ; — and,  Master  William,  I  have 
sounded  the  well  just  before  you  came  up,  and  I  don't 
think  she  makes  much  water ;  and,"  continued  he,  looking 
round  him,  and  up  above,  "we  shall  have  fine  weather, 
and  a  smooth  sea  before  night." 

By  the  united  exertions  of  Ready  and  William  the 
breakfast  was  prepared  while  Mrs  Seagrave  still  continued 
in  a  sound  sleep.  The  motion  of  the  ship  was  now  very 
little :  she  only  rolled  very  slowly  from  one  side  to  the 


Masterman  Ready  33 

other,  for  she  was  heavy  with  the  water  which  had  leaked 
into  her ;  the  sea  and  wind  had  gone  down,  and  the  sun 
shone  brightly  over  their  heads ;  the  boat  had  been  out 
of  sight  some  time,  and  the  ship  did  not  go  through  the 
water  faster  than  three  miles  an  hour,  for  she  had  no  other 
sail  upon  her  than  the  maintop-gallant  sail  hoisted  up  on 
the  stump  of  the  foremast.  Ready,  who  had  been  some 
time  down  in  the  cabin,  proposed  to  Mr  Seagrave  that 
Juno  and  all  the  children  should  go  on  deck.  "  They 
cannot  be  expected  to  be  quiet,  sir ;  and,  now  that  madam 
is  in  such  a  sweet  sleep,  it  would  be  a  pity  to  wake  her. 
After  so  much  fatigue  she  may  sleep  for  hours,  and  the 
longer  the  better,  for  you  know  that  (in  a  short  time,  I 
trust,)  she  will  have  to  exert  herself."  Mr  Seagrave 
agreed  to  the  good  sense  of  this  proposal,  and  went  on 
deck  with  Juno  and  the  children,  leaving  William  in  the 
cabin  to  watch  his  mother.  Poor  Juno  was  very  much 
astonished  when  she  came  up  the  ladder  and  perceived  the 
condition  of  the  vessel,  and  the  absence  of  the  men ;  but 
Mr  Seagrave  told  her  what  had  happened,  and  cautioned 
her  against  saying  a  word  to  Mrs  Seagrave.  Juno  promised 
that  she  would  not ;  but  the  poor  girl  perceived  the  danger 
of  their  position,  and,  as  she  pressed  little  Albert  to  her 
bosom,  a  tear  or  two  rolled  down  her  cheeks — she  was  not 
thinking  of  herself,  but  of  what  would  become  of  her  little 
charge.  Even  Tommy  and  Caroline  could  not  help  asking 
where  the  masts  and  sails  were,  and  what  had  become  of 
Captain  Osborn. 

''Look  there,  sir,"  said  Ready,  pointing  out  some  floating 
sea-weed  to  Mr  Seagrave. 

"  I  perceive  it,"  said  Mr  Seagrave  ;  "  but  what  then  ? " 

"  That  by  itself  would  not  be  quite  proof,"  replied 
Ready,  "  but  we  sailors  have  other  signs  and  tokens.  Do 
you  see  those  birds  hovering  over  the  waves  ? " 

"  I  do." 

"Well,  sir,  those  birds  never  go  far  from  land,  that's 
all :  and  now,  sir,  I'll  go   down  for  my  quadrant ;    for, 
although  I  cannot  tell  the  longitude  just  now,  at  all  events 
r  c 


34  Masterman  Ready 

I  can  find  out  the  latitude  we  are  in,  and  then  by  looking 
at  the  chart  shall  be  able  to  give  some  kind  of  guess  where 
about  we  are,  if  we  see  land  soon." 

"It  is  nearly  noon  now,"  observed  Ready,  reading  off 
his  quadrant,  "  the  sun  rises  very  slowly.  What  a  happy 
thing  a  child  is  !  Look,  sir,  at  those  little  creatures  play- 
ing about,  and  as  merry  now,  and  as  unaware  of  danger, 
as  if  they  were  at  home  in  their  parlour.  Although 
nothing  pains  me  more  when  it  does  take  place,  I  often 
think,  sir,  it  is  a  great  blessing  for  a  child  to  be  called 
away  early ;  and  that  it  is  selfish  in  parents  to  repine." 

"Perhaps  it  is,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,  looking  mourn- 
fully at  his  children. 

"It's  twelve  o'clock,  sir.  I'll  just  go  down  and  work 
the  latitude,  and  then  I'll  bring  up  the  chart." 

Mr  Seagrave  remained  on  deck.  He  was  soon  in  deep 
and  solemn  thought ;  nor  was  it  to  be  wondered  at — the 
ship  a  wreck  and  deserted — left  alone  on  the  wide  water 
with  his  wife  and  helpless  family,  with  but  one  to  assist 
him :  had  that  one  deserted  him  as  well  as  the  rest,  what 
would  have  been  his  position  then  ?  utter  helplessness ! 
And  now  what  had  they  to  expect  ?  Their  greatest  hopes 
were  to  gain  some  island,  and,  if  they  succeeded,  perhaps 
a  desert  island,  perhaps  an  island  inhabited  by  savages — 
to  be  murdered,  or  to  perish  miserably  of  hunger  and 
thirst.  Or,  allowing  that  they  did  find  the  means  of 
subsistence,  what  then  ?  Were  they  to  remain  there  for 
their  lives,  and  die  unknown  and  unheeded  ?  It  was  not 
until  some  time  after  these  reflections  had  passed  through 
his  mind,  that  Mr  Seagrave  could  recall  himself  to  a  sense 
of  thankfulness  to  the  Almighty  for  having  hitherto  pre- 
served them,  or  could  say  with  humility,  "  O  Lord !  thy 
will,  not  mine,  be  done."  But,  having  once  succeeded  in 
repressing  his  murmurs  and  his  doubts  of  the  goodness  of 
Providence,  he  then  felt  that  he  had  courage  and  faith  to 
undergo  every  trial  which  might  be  imposed  upon  him. 

"Here  is  the  chart,  sir,"  said  Ready,  "and  I  have 
drawn  a  pencil  line  through  our  latitude :   you   perceive 


Masterman  Ready  35 

that  it  passes  through  this  cluster  of  islands  ;  and  I  think, 
we  must  be  among  them,  or  very  near.  Now  I  must  put 
something  on  for  dinner,  and  then  look  sharp  out  for  the 
land.  Will  you  take  a  look  round,  Mr  Seagrave,  especially 
a-head  and  on  the  bows." 

Ready  went  down  to  see  what  he  could  procure  for 
dinner,  as  the  seamen,  when  they  left  the  ship,  had 
collected  almost  all  which  came  first  to  hand.  He  soon 
procured  a  piece  of  salt  beef  and  some  potatoes,  which  he 
put  into  the  saucepan,  and  then  returned  on  deck. 

Mr  Seagrave  was  forward,  looking  over  the  bows,  and 
Ready  went  there  to  him. 

"Ready,  I  think  I  see  something,  but  I  can  hardly  tell 
what  it  is  :  it  appears  to  be  in  the  air,  and  yet  it  is  not 
clouds.     Look  there,  where  I  point  my  finger."" 

"  You're  right,  sir,"  replied  Ready,  "  there  is  some- 
thing ;  it  is  not  the  land  which  you  see,  but  it  is  the  trees 
upon  the  land  which  are  refracted,  as  they  call  it,  so  as  to 
appear,  as  you  say,  as  if  they  were  in  the  air.  That  is  an 
island,  sir,  depend  upon  it ;  but  I  will  go  down  and  get 
my  glass." 

"It  is  the  land,  Mr  Seagrave,"  said  Ready,  after  exam- 
ining it  with  his  glass — "  yes,  it  is  so,"  continued  he, 
musing;  "I  wish  that  we  had  seen  it  earlier;  and  yet  we 
must  be  thankful." 

"Why  so,  Ready?" 

"  Only,  sir,  as  the  ship  forges  so  slowly  through  the 
water,  I  fear  that  we  shall  not  reach  it  before  dark,  and  I 
should  have  wished  to  have  had  daylight  to  have  laid  her 
nicely  on  it." 

"  There  is  very  little  wind  now." 

"Well,  let  us  hope  that  there  will  be  more,"  replied 
Ready ;  "if  not,  we  must  do  our  best ; — but  I  must  now 
go  to  the  helm,  for  we  must  steer  right  for  the  island ;  it 
would  not  do  to  pass  it,  for,  Mr  Seagrave,  although  the 
ship  does  not  leak  so  much  as  she  did,  yet  I  must  now  tell 
you  that  I  do  not  think  that  she  could  be  kept  more  than 
twenty-four  hours  above  water.     I  thought  otherwise  this 


3  6  Masterman  Ready 

morning  when  I  sounded  the  well ;  but  when  I  went  down 
in  the  hold  for  the  beef,  I  then  perceived  that  we  were  in 
more  danger  than  I  had  any  idea  of:  however,  there  is  the 
land,  and  every  chance  of  escape ;  so  let  us  thank  the  Lord 
for  all  his  mercies." 

"  Amen  !  "  replied  Mr  Seagrave. 

Ready  went  to  the  helm  and  steered  a  course  for  the 
land,  which  was  not  so  far  distant  as  he  had  imagined, 
for  the  island  was  very  low  :  by  degrees  the  wind 
freshened  up,  and  they  went  faster  through  the  water  •, 
and  now,  the  trees,  which  had  appeared  as  if  in  the  air, 
joined  on  to  the  land,  and  they  could  make  out  that 
it  was  a  low  coral  island  covered  with  groves  of  cocoa-nuts. 
Occasionally  Ready  gave  the  helm  up  to  Mr  Seagrave, 
and  went  forward  to  examine.  When  they  were  within 
three  or  four  miles  of  it,  Ready  came  back  from  the 
forecastle,  and  said,  "  I  think  I  see  my  way  pretty  clear, 
sir :  you  see  we  are  to  the  windward  of  the  island,  and 
there  is  always  deep  water  to  the  windward  of  these  sort 
of  isles,  and  reefs  and  shoals  to  leeward ;  we  must, 
therefore,  find  some  little  cleft  in  the  coral  rock  to  dock 
her  in,  as  it  were,  or  she  may  fall  back  into  deep  water 
after  she  has  taken  the  ground,  for  sometimes  these  islands 
run  up  like  a  wall,  with  forty  or  fifty  fathom  of  water 
close  to  the  weather  sides  of  them  ;  but  I  do  see  a  spot 
where  I  think  she  may  be  put  on  shore  with  safety. 
You  see  those  three  cocoa-nut  trees  close  together  on  the 
beach  ?  Now,  sir,  I  cannot  well  see  them  as  I  steer, 
so  do  you  go  forward,  and  if  I  am  to  steer  more  to  the 
right,  put  out  your  right  hand,  and  if  to  the  left,  the  same 
with  your  left ;  and,  when  the  ship's  head  is  as  it  ought 
to  be,  then  drop  the  hand  which  you  have  raised." 

"I  perfectly  understand  you,  Ready,"  replied  Mr 
Seagrave ;  who  then  went  forward  and  directed  the 
steering  of  the  vessel  as  they  neared  the  island.  When 
they  were  within  half  a  mile  of  it,  the  colour  of  the  water 
changed,  very  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  Ready,  who 
knew  that  the  weatherside  of  the  island  would  not  be  so 


Masterman  Ready  37 

steep  as  was  usually  the  case :  still  it  was  an  agitating 
moment  as  they  ran  on  to  the  beach.  They  were  now 
within  a  cable's  length,  and  still  the  ship  did  not  ground  ; 
a  little  nearer,  and  there  was  a  grating  at  her  bottom — 
it  was  the  breaking  off  of  the  coral-trees  which  grew 
below  like  forests  under  water — again  she  grated,  and 
more  harshly,  then  struck,  and  then  again ;  at  last  she 
struck  violently,  as  the  swell  lifted  her  farther  on,  and 
then  remained  fast  and  quiet.  Ready  let  go  the  helm 
to  ascertain  the  position  of  the  ship.  He  looked  over 
the  stern  and  around  the  ship,  and  found  that  she  was 
firmly  fixed,  fore  and  aft,  upon  a  bed  of  coral  rocks. 


Chapter  VIII 

"  All's  well  so  far,  sir,"  said  Ready  to  Mr  Seagrave ; 
"  and  now  let  us  return  thanks  to  Heaven." 

Ready  kneeled  down  on  the  deck,  took  off  his  hat,  and 
remained  a  short  time  in  prayer.  Mr  Seagrave  did  the 
same  :  the  children  at  first  looked  on,  and  wondered,  and 
then  knelt  down  by  the  side  of  them,  following  the 
example  of  Juno. 

As  they  rose,  William  came  up  and  said — "  Father, 
my  mother  has  sent  me  to  you ;  she  was  awakened  by 
the  noise  under  the  ship's  bottom,  and  is  frightened — will 
you  go  down  to  her  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  child,  directly,"  said  Mr  Seagrave. 

"What  is  the  matter,  my  dear — and  where  have  you 
all  been  ? "  exclaimed  Mrs  Seagrave,  when  her  husband 
went  down  below.  "  I  have  been  so  frightened — T  was 
in  such  a  sound  sleep,  and  I  was  awakened  with  such  a 
dreadful  noise." 

"Be  composed,  my  dear,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave:  "we 
have  been  in  great  danger,  and  are  now,  I  trust,  in  safety. 
Tell  me,  are  you  not  better  for  your  long  sleep  ?  " 


38  Masterman  Ready 

"Yes,  much  better — much  stronger;  but  do  tell  me 
what  has  happened." 

"  Much  took  place,  dearest,  before  you  went  to  sleep, 
which  was  concealed  from  you  ;  but  now,  as  I  expect  we 
shall  all  go  on  shore  in  a  short  time " 

"  Go  on  shore,  my  dear  ?  " 

"  Yes,  on  shore.  Now  be  calm,  and  hear  what  has 
happened,  and  how  much  we  have  reason  to  be  grateful 
to  Heaven." 

Mr  Seagrave  then  entered  into  a  detail  of  all  that  had 
passed.  Mrs  Seagrave  heard  him  without  reply  *,  and 
when  he  had  finished,  she  threw  herself  in  his  arms,  and 
wept  bitterly. 

Mr  Seagrave  remained  with  his  wife,  using  all  his 
efforts  to  console  her,  until  Juno  reappeared  with  the 
children,  for  it  was  now  getting  late  ;  and  then  Mr  Sea- 
grave returned  on  deck  to  consult  with  Ready. 

"Well,  sir,"  said  Ready,  when  Mr  Seagrave  went  up  to 
him,  "  I  have  been  looking  well  about  me,  and  I  think  that 
we  have  great  reason  to  be  thankful.  The  ship  is  fast 
enough,  and  will  not  move  until  some  violent  gales  come 
on  and  break  her  up  ;  but  of  that  there  is  no  fear  at 
present :  the  little  wind  that  there  is,  is  going  down,  and 
we  shall  have  a  calm  before  morning." 

"  I  grant  that  there  is  no  immediate  danger,  Ready ; 
but  how  are  we  to  get  on  shore  ? — and,  when  on  shore, 
how  are  we  to  exist  ? " 

"  I  have  thought  of  that  too,  sir,  and  I  must  have  your 
assistance,  and  even  that  of  Master  William,  to  get  the 
little  boat  on  board  to  repair  her  :  her  bottom  is  ^stove  in, 
it  is  true,  but  I  am  carpenter  enough  for  that,  and  with 
some  well-tarred  canvas  I  can  make  her  sufficiently  water- 
tight to  land  us  all  in  safety,  until  I  have  an  opportunity 
of  putting  her  in  better  order.  We  must  set  to  at  day- 
light." 

"  And  when  we  get  on  shore  ?  " 

"Why,  Mr  Seagrave,  where  there  are  cocoa-nut  trees 
in  such  plenty  as  there  are  on  that  island,  there  is  no  fear 


Masterman  Ready  39 

of  starvation,  even  if  we  had  not  the  ship's  provisions. 
I  expect  a  little  difficulty  with  regard  to  water,  for  the 
island  is  low — very  low,  and  small  5  but  we  cannot  expect 
to  find  everything  exactly  as  we  wish." 

"I  am  thankful  to  the  Almighty  for  our  preservation, 
Ready  5  but  still  there  are  feelings  which  I  cannot  get 
over.  Here  we  are  cast  away  upon  a  desolate  island, 
which  perhaps  no  ship  may  ever  come  near,  so  that  there 
is  little  chance  of  our  being  taken  off.  Here  we  may  live 
and  die — here  my  children  may  grow  up, — yes,  grow  old, 
after  they  have  buried  you,  their  father,  and  their  mother, 
and  follow  us  to  the  same  tomb.  All  their  prospects  in 
life,  all  mine — all  blasted — all  my  hopes  overthrown — it  is 
a  melancholy  and  cruel  fate,  Ready,  and  that  you  must 
acknowledge." 

"  Mr  Seagrave,  as  an  old  man  compared  to  you,  I  may 
venture  to  say  that  you  are  ungrateful  to  Heaven  to  give 
way  to  these  repinings.  What  is  said  in  the  book  of  Job  ? 
'  Shall  we  receive  good  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  we  not 
receive  evil  ? '  Besides,  who  knows  whether  good  may 
not  proceed  from  what  appears  evil  ?  You  talk  of  your 
children  and  of  their  prospects,  Mr  Seagrave,  but  can  you 
tell  what  might  have  happened  if  you  had  arrived  at 
Sydney,  and  had  followed  up  your  worldly  concerns  ? 
Most  children  promise  fair ;  but,  when  they  arrive  at 
manhood,  do  they  always  prove  equal  to  the  expectations 
of  their  parents  ?  Who  knows  but  what  this  visitation 
upon  them  may  have  preserved  them  from  wickedness,  or 
from  a  violent  death  in  the  midst  of  their  wickedness — 
from  being  cut  off  in  their  prime — from  disgracing  you 
and  their  good  mother  ?  I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr 
Seagrave,  I  hope  I  have  not  offended  you  5  but  indeed, 
sir,  I  felt  that  it  was  my  duty  to  speak  as  I  have 
done." 

"  You  have  reproved  me  very  justly,  Ready  ;  and  I 
thank  you  for  it,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  ;  "  I  will  repine  no 
more,  but  make  the  best  of  it." 

"  And    trust  in    God,  sir,  who,  if  he    thinks  fit,  will 


40  Masterraan  Ready- 

restore  you  once  more  to  your  friends,  and  increase  ten- 
fold your  flocks  and  herds." 

"  That  quotation  becomes  very  apt,  Ready,"  replied  Mr 
Seagrave,  smiling,  "  considering  that  all  my  prospects  are 
in  flocks  and  herds  upon  my  land  in  New  South  Wales. 
I  must  put  myself  under  your  orders  ;  for,  in  our  present 
position,  you  are  my  superior — knowledge  is  power.  Can 
we  do  anything  to-night  ?  " 

"I  can  do  a  little,  Mr  Seagrave;  but  you  cannot  assist 
me  till  to-morrow  morning,  except  indeed  to  help  me  to 
drag  these  two  spars  aft ;  and  then  I  can  rig  a  pair  of 
sheers,  and  have  them  all  ready  for  hoisting  up  to-morrow 
morning  to  get  the  boat  in.  You  see,  with  so  little 
strength  on  board,  and  no  masts,  we  shall  be  obliged  to 
contrive." 

Mr  Seagrave  assisted  Ready  in  getting  the  two  spars 
aft,  and  laid  on  the  spot  which  was  required.  "  There 
now,  Mr  Seagrave,  you  may  go  down  below.  Master 
William  had  better  let  loose  the  two  dogs,  and  give  them 
a  little  victuals,  for  we  have  quite  forgot  them,  poor 
things.  I  shall  keep  watch  to-night,  for  I  have  plenty  to 
do,  and  plenty  to  think  of ;  so,  good-night,  sir." 

Mr  Seagrave  wished  Ready  good-night,  and  went 
below.  Ready  remained  on  deck,  lashing  the  heads  of 
the  spars,  and  fixing  his  tackles  ready  for  the  morrow. 
When  all  was  done,  he  sat  down  upon  one  of  the  hencoops 
aft,  and  remained  in  deep  thought.  At  last,  tired  with 
watching  and  exertion,  the  old  man  fell  asleep.  He  was 
awakened  at  daylight  by  the  dogs,  who  had  been  set  at 
liberty,  and  who,  after  walking  about  the  ship  and  finding 
nobody,  had  then  gone  to  sleep  at  the  cabin  door.  At 
daybreak  they  had  roused  up,  and  going  on  deck  had 
found  old  Ready  asleep  on  the  hencoop,  and  were  licking 
his  face  in  their  joy  at  having  discovered  him.  "  Ay," 
said  the  old  man,  as  he  got  ofT  the  hencoop,  "  you'll  all 
three  be  useful,  if  I  mistake  not,  by-and-bye.  Down, 
Vixen,  down — poor  creature,  you've  lost  a  good  master, 
I'm  afraid." 


Masterman  Ready  41 

"  Stop — now  let  me  see,"  said  Ready,  talking  to  him- 
self ;  "  first — but  I'll  get  the  logboard  and  a  bit  of  chalk, 
and  write  them  down,  for  my  memory  is  not  quite  so 
good  as  it  was." 

Ready  placed  the  logboard  on  the  hencoop,  and  then 
wrote  on  it  with  the  chalk  : — "  Three  dogs,  two  goats, 
and  Billy  the  kid  (I  think  there's  five  pigs) ;  fowls  (quite 
enough) ;  three  or  four  pigeons  (I'm  sure) ;  the  cow  (she 
has  lain  down  and  won't  get  up  again,  I'm  afraid,  so  we 
must  kill  her) ;  and  there's  the  Merino  ram  and  sheep 
belonging  to  Mr  Seagrave — plenty  of  live  stock.  Now, 
what's  the  first  things  we  must  get  on  shore  after  we  are 
all  landed — a  spar  and  top-gallant-sail  for  a  tent,  a  coil  or 
two  of  rope,  a  mattress  or  two  for  madam  and  the  children, 
two  axes,  hammer  and  nails,  something  to  eat — yes,  and 
something  to  cut  it  with.  There,  that  will  do  for  the 
present,"  said  old  Ready,  getting  up.  "Now  I'll  just 
light  the  fire,  get  the  water  on,  and,  while  I  think  of  it, 
boil  two  or  three  pieces  of  beef  and  pork  to  go  on  shore 
with  them;  and  then  I'll  call  up  Mr  Seagrave,  for  I 
reckon  it  will  be  a  hard  day's  work :  and  may  we  have 
God's  blessing  on  it !  " 


Chapter  IX 

As  soon  as  Ready  had  executed  his  intentions,  and  had  fed 
the  animals,  he  went  to  the  cabin,  and  called  Mr  Seagrave 
and  William.  With  their  assistance  the  sheers  were  raised, 
and  secured  in  their  place  ;  the  boat  was  then  hooked  on, 
but,  as  one  person  was  required  to  bear  it  clear  of  the 
davits  and  tarrrail,  they  could  not  hoist  it  in. 

"  Master  William,  will  you  run  down  to  Juno,  and  tell 
her  to  come  on  deck  to  assist  us — we  must  all  work  now  ? 
Madam  will  hold  the  baby  for  a  few  minutes." 

William  soon  returned  with  Juno,  who  was  a  strong 
girl ;  and,  with  her  assistance,  they  succeeded  in  getting 


42  Masterman  Ready 

the  boat  in,  and  then  they  sent  Juno  down  again  into  the 
cabin. 

The  boat  was  turned  over,  and  Ready  commenced  his 
work  •,  while  Mr  Seagrave,  at  his  request,  put  the  pitch- 
pot  on  the  galley  fire,  all  ready  for  pitching  the  canvas 
when  it  was  nailed  on.  It  was  not  till  dinner-time  that 
Ready,  who  had  worked  hard,  could  patch  up  the  boat ; 
he  then  payed  the  canvas  and  the  seams  which  he  had 
caulked  with  pitch  both  inside  and  out. 

"  I  think  we  shall  do  now,  sir,"  said  Ready  ;  "  we'll 
drag  her  to  the  gangway  and  launch  her.  It's  fortunate 
for  us  that  they  did  clear  away  the  gunnel,  as  we  shall 
have  no  trouble." 

A  rope  was  made  fast  to  the  boat,  to  hold  her  to  the 
ship :  she  was  then  launched  over  the  gunnel  by  the  united 
exertions  of  Mr  Seagrave  and  Ready,  and  to  their  great 
satisfaction  she  appeared  to  leak  very  little. 

"  Now,  sir,"  said  Ready,  "what  shall  we  do  first — take 
some  things  on  shore,  or  some  of  the  children  ? " 

"  What  do  you  say,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Why  then,  sir,  with  submission  to  you,  I  think  as  the 
water  is  as  smooth  as  glass,  and  we  can  land  anywhere, 
(for  which  we  ought  to  be  most  thankful,  having  women 
and  infants  to  take  on  shore,)  that  you  and  I  had  better  go 
first  to  reconnoitre, — it  is  not  two  hundred  yards  to  the 
beach,  and  we  shall  lose  but  little  time." 

"  Very  well,  Ready,  I  will  first  run  down  and  tell  my 
wife." 

"  And,  in  the  meanwhile,  I'll  put  the  sail  into  the  boat, 
and  one  or  two  other  things ;  it  will  be  so  much  time  saved." 

Ready  put  the  sail  in,  an  axe,  a  musket,  and  some  cord. 
Mr  Seagrave  came  up  again ;  they  both  got  into  the  boat, 
and  pulled  on  shore. 

When  they  landed,  they  found  that  they  could  see 
nothing  of  the  interior  of  the  island,  the  cocoa-nut  groves 
were  so  thick ;  but  to  their  right  they  perceived,  at  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  a  small  sandy  cove,  with  brushwood 
growing  in  front  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees. 


Masterman  Ready  43 

"  That,"  said  Ready,  pointing  to  it,  "  must  be  our 
location,  as  the  Americans  call  it.  Let  us  get  into  the 
boat  again,  Mr  Seagrave,  and  pull  to  it ;  it  is  but  a  little 
way  to  pull,  but  a  long  way  to  carry  the  things  in  the 
boat." 

In  a  few  minutes  they  arrived  at  the  cove,  the  water 
was  shallow,  and  as  clear  as  crystal.  Beneath  the  boat's 
bottom  they  could  see  beautiful  shells,  and  the  fish  darting 
about  in  every  direction. 

The  sand  extended  about  forty  yards  from  the  water, 
and  then  commenced  the  brushwood,  which  ran  back  about 
forty  yards  further,  intermingled  with  single  cocoa-nut 
trees,  until  it  joined  the  cocoa-nut  grove.  They  pulled 
the  boat  in,  and  landed. 

"  What  a  lovely  spot  this  is  !  "  exclaimed  Mr  Seagrave ; 
"  and  perhaps  mortal  man  has  never  yet  visited  it  till  now : 
these  cocoa-nuts  have  borne  their  fruit  year  after  year,  have 
died,  and  others  have  sprung  up  in  their  stead ;  and  here 
has  this  spot  remained,  perhaps  for  centuries,  all  ready 
for  man  to  live  in,  and  to  enjoy  whenever  he  should  come 
to  it." 

"Providence  is  bountiful,  Mr  Seagrave,"  replied  Ready, 
"  and  supplies  our  wants  when  we  least  expect  it.  If  you 
please  we  will  walk  a  little  way  into  the  wood  :  take  the 
gun  as  a  precaution,  sir,  not  that  there  appears  to  be  much 
occasion  for  it — there  is  seldom  anything  wild  on  these 
small  islands,  except  a  pig  or  two  has  been  put  on  shore 
by  considerate  Christians.  I  once  sailed  with  a  captain  on 
these  seas,  and  he  never  landed  on  a  desolate  island 
without  putting  a  couple  of  pigs  or  something  on  shore  to 
breed,  in  case  anybody  should  hereafter  be  shipwrecked  j 
it  was  a  kind  thought." 

"  It  was,  Ready  ;  well,  now  that  we  are  in  the  grove, 
what  do  you  think  ?  " 

"I  was  looking  for  a  place  to  fix  a  tent  up  for  the 
present,  sir,  and  I  think  that  on  that  little  rise  would 
be  a  very  good  place  till  we  can  look  about  us  and  do 
better  j    but    we    have    no    time    now,  sir,  for    we   have 


44  Masterman  Ready 

plenty  of  trips  to  make  before  nightfall.  If  you  please, 
we'll  haul  the  sail  and 'Other  articles  on  to  the  beach,  and 
then  return  on  board." 

As  they  were  pulling  the  boat  back,  Ready  said,  "  I've 
been  thinking  about  what  is  best,  Mr  Seagrave.  Would 
Mrs  Seagrave  mind  your  leaving  her  ? — if  not,  I  should 
say  we  should  have  Juno  and  Master  William  on  shore 
first,  as  they  can  be  of  use." 

"  I  do  not  think  that  she  will  mind  being  left  on  board 
with  William  and  the  children,  provided  that  I  return 
for  her  when  she  is  to  come  on  shore  herself  with  the 
baby." 

"  Well  then,  let  Master  William  remain  on  board,  if 
you  please,  sir.  I'll  land  you  and  Juno,  Master  Tommy, 
and  the  dogs,  this  time,  for  they  will  be  a  protection  in 
case  of  accidents.  You  and  Juno  can  be  doing  something 
while  I  return  by  myself  for  the  other  articles  we  shall 
require." 

As  soon  as  they  arrived  on  board,  Mr  Seagrave  went 
down  to  cheer  his  wife  with  the  account  of  what  they 
had  seen,  and  he  obtained  her  consent  to  the  arrangement 
made  by  Ready.  While  he  was  down  below,  Ready  had 
cast  off  the  lashings  of  the  two  spars  which  had  formed 
the  sheers,  and  dragging  them  forward,  had  launched 
them  over  the  gunnel,  with  lines  fast  to  them,  ready  for 
towing  on  shore.  In  a  few  minutes  Juno  and  Tommy 
made  their  appearance  on  deck ;  Ready  put  some  tools 
into  the  boat,  and  a  couple  of  shovels,  which  he  brought 
up  when  he  went  for  the  dogs,  and  once  more  they  landed 
at  the  sandy  cove.  Tommy  stared  about  him  a  great 
deal,  but  did  not  speak,  until  he  saw  the  shells  lying  on 
the  beach,  when  he  screamed  with  delight,  and  began  to 
pick  them  up  as  fast  as  he  could ;  the  dogs  barked  and 
galloped  about,  overjoyed  at  being  once  more  on  shore ; 
and  Juno  smiled  as  she  looked  around  her,  saying  to 
Ready,  "  What  a  nice  place  !  " 

"Now,  Mr  Seagrave,  I'll  remain  on  shore  with  you 
a   little.     First,  we'll  load  the  musket  in  case  of  need, 


Masterman  Ready  45 

and  then  you  can  put  it  out  of  the  way  of  Master  Tommy, 
who  fingers  everything,  I  observe.  We  will  take  up  the 
sail  between  us.  Juno,  you  can  carry  the  tools ;  and  then 
we  can  come  back  again  for  the  spars,  and  the  rope,  and 
the  other  things.  Come,  Master  Tommy,  you  can  carry 
a  shovel  at  all  events,  and  that  will  make  you  of  some 
use.     We  must  all  work  now." 

Having  taken  all  these  things  to  the  little  knoll  which 
Ready  had  pointed  out  before,  they  returned  for  the 
spars  ;  and  in  two  trips  they  had  carried  everything  there, 
Tommy  with  the  second  shovel  on  his  shoulder,  and 
very  proud  to  be  employed. 

"  Here  are  two  trees  which  will  answer  our  purpose 
pretty  well,"  said  Ready,  "  as  they  are  far  enough  apart  : 
we  must  lash  the  spars  up  to  them,  and  then  throw  the 
sail  over,  and  bring  it  down  to  the  ground  at  both  ends  -9 
that  will  be  a  beginning  at  all  events  ;  and  I  will  bring 
some  more  canvas  on  shore,  to  set  up  the  other  tent 
between  these  other  trees,  and  also  to  shut  up  the  two 
ends  of  both  of  them ;  then  we  shall  have  a  shelter  for 
madam,  and  Juno,  and  the  younger  children,  and  another 
for  Master  William,  Tommy,  and  ourselves.  Now,  sir, 
I'll  just  help  you  to  lash  the  spars,  and  then  I'll  leave  you 
to  finish  while  I  go  on  board  again." 

"  But  how  can  we  reach  so  high,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Why,  sir,  we  can  manage  that  by  first  lashing  a  spar 
as  high  as  we  can  conveniently  reach,  and  then  standing 
on  that  while  we  lash  the  other  in  its  proper  place.  I 
shall  bring  another  spar  on  shore,  that  we  may  do  the 
same  when  we  set  up  the  other  tent." 

Having  by  this  plan  succeeded  in  lashing  the  spar  high 
enough,  and  throwing  the  sail  over  the  spar,  Ready  and 
Mr  Seagrave  spread  it  out,  and  found  that  it  made  a  very 
good-sized  tent. 

"  Now,  sir,  I'll  return  on  board ;  in  the  meantime 
if  you  can  cut  pegs  from  the  brushwood  to  fasten  the  sail 
down  to  the  ground,  and  then  with  the  shovel  cover 
the  bottom  of  it  with  sand  to  keep  it  down,  it  will  be  close 


4.6  Masterman  Ready- 

enough  when  it  is  all  finished.     There's  my  knife,  sir, 
if  you  hav'n't  got  one." 

"  I  shall  do  very  well,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  Juno 
can  help  me  to  pull  the  canvas  out  tight  when  I  am 
ready." 

"  Yes ;  and  in  the  meantime,  Juno,  take  a  shovel, 
and  level  the  inside  of  the  tent  nice  and  smooth,  and 
throw  out  all  those  old  cocoa-nut  leaves,  and  look  if  you 
see  any  vermin  lurking  among  them.  Master  Tommy, 
you  must  not  run  away  ;  and  you  must  not  touch  the 
axes,  they  will  cut  you  if  you  do.  It  may  be  as  well 
to  say,  Mr  Seagrave,  that  should  anything  happen,  and 
you  require  my  assistance,  you  had  better  fire  off  the  gun, 
and  I  will  come  on  shore  to  you  immediately.  But 
that's  not  very  likely,"  continued  Ready,  who  then  walked 
down  to  the  beach,  and  stepping  into  the  boat,  pulled  on 
board  of  the  ship. 


Chapter  X 

When  Ready  returned  on  board  he  first  went  down  into 
the  cabin  to  acquaint  Mrs  Seagrave  and  William  with 
what  they  had  done.  Mrs  Seagrave  naturally  felt  anxious 
about  her  husband  being  on  shore  alone,  and  Ready 
informed  her  that  they  had  agreed  that  if  anything  should 
occur  Mr  Seagrave  would  fire  the  musket.  He  then  went 
down  into  the  sail-room  to  get  some  canvas,  a  new  top- 
gallant sail  which  was  there,  and  a  palm  and  needles  with 
twine.  Scarcely  had  he  got  them  out,  and  at  the  foot 
of  the  ladder,  when  the  report  of  the  musket  was  heard, 
and  Mrs  Seagrave  rushed  out  of  the  cabin  in  the  greatest 
alarm;  Ready  seized  another  musket,  jumped  into  the 
boat,  and  pulled  on  shore  as  fast  as  he  could.  On  his 
arrival,  quite  out  of  breath,  for  as  he  pulled  on  shore 
he  had  his  back  towards  it,  and  could  see  nothing,  he 
found  Mr  Seagrave  and  Juno  busy  with  the  tent,  and 
Master  Tommy  sitting  on  the  ground  crying  very  lustily. 


Masterman  Ready  47 

It  appeared  that,  while  Mr  Seagrave  and  Juno  were 
employed,  Master  Tommy  had  crept  away  to  where 
the  musket  was  placed  up  on  end  against  a  cocoa-nut  tree, 
and,  after  pulling  it  about  some  little  while,  had  touched 
the  trigger.  The  musket  went  off;  and,  as  the  muzzle 
was  pointed  upwards,  the  charge  had  brought  down  two 
large  cocoa-nuts,  which  fell  close  to  where  Tommy  was 
under  the  tree,  and,  had  they  hit  him,  would  certainly 
have  killed  him.  Mr  Seagrave,  who  was  aware  what  an 
alarm  this  would  produce  on  board  the  vessel,  had  been 
scolding  him  soundly,  and  now  Master  Tommy  was 
crying,  to  prove  how  very  penitent  he  was. 

"  I  had  better  return  on  board  immediately,  sir,  and  tell 
Mrs  Seagrave,"  said  Ready. 

"  Do,  pray,  my  good  fellow,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave. 

Ready  then  returned  to  the  ship,  and  explained  matters, 
and  then  recommenced  his  labour. 

Having  put  into  the  boat  the  sailmaker's  bag,  with  palm 
and  needles,  two  mattresses,  and  blankets  from  the 
captain's  state  room,  the  saucepan  with  the  beef  and  pork, 
and  a  spar  which  he  towed  astern,  Ready  found  that  he 
had  as  much  as  he  could  carry ;  but,  as  there  was  nobody 
but  himself  in  it,  he  came  on  shore  very  well.  Having, 
with  the  assistance  of  Mr  Seagrave  and  Juno,  got  all  the 
things  up  to  the  knoll,  Ready  lashed  the  spar  up  for  the 
second  tent,  and  then  leaving  them  to  fix  it  up  like  the 
other,  he  returned  again  on  board.  Juno  had  cleaned  the 
tent  out  very  nicely,  and  said  that  she  had  not  found  any 
animals  or  insects  among  the  leaves.  Before  he  went, 
Ready  gave  Tommy  a  stick,  and  told  him  to  watch  the 
beef  and  pork,  and  not  allow  the  dogs  to  eat  it  all  up,  and 
Tommy,  who  was  on  his  good  behaviour,  stood  sentry  over 
it  as  grave  as  a  judge.  Ready  made  two  other  trips  to  the 
ship,  bringing  with  him  more  bedding,  a  bag  of  ship's 
biscuits,  another  of  potatoes,  plates,  knives  and  forks, 
spoons,  frying-pans  and  other  cooking  utensils,  and  a 
variety  of  other  articles.  He  then  showed  Juno  how  to 
fill   up  the   ends  of  the  first  tent  with  the  canvas  and 


48  Masterman  Ready- 

sails  he  had  brought  on  shore,  so  as  to  enclose  it  all  round ; 
Juno  took  the  needle  and  twine,  and  worked  very  well. 
Ready,  satisfied  that  she  would  be  able  to  get  on  without 
them,  now  said :  "  Mr  Seagrave,  we  have  but  two  hours 
more  daylight,  and  it  is  right  that  Mrs  Seagrave  should 
come  on  shore  now ;  so,  if  you  please,  we'll  go  off  and 
fetch  her  and  the  children.  I  think  we  shall  be  able  to  do 
very  well  for  the  first  night ;  and  if  it  pleases  God  to  give 
us  fine  weather,  we  may  do  a  great  deal  more  to-morrow 
— indeed  as  long  as  the  fine  weather  lasts,  we  must  work 
hard  in  getting  things  on  shore,  for  one  good  gale  would, 
in  all  probability,  beat  the  vessel  to  pieces.  I  stowed  the 
hold  myself,  and  know  where  most  of  the  things  are  to  be 
found,  but  I  fear  it  will  not  be  possible  to  get  out  many 
articles  which  would  be  useful." 

As  soon  as  they  arrived  on  board,  Mr  Seagrave  went 
down  to  his  wife  to  propose  her  going  on  shore.  She  was 
much  agitated,  and  very  weak  from  her  illness,  but  she 
behaved  courageously  notwithstanding,  and,  supported  by 
her  husband,  she  gained  the  deck,  William  following  with 
the  baby,  and  his  little  sister  Caroline  carried  by  Ready. 
"With  some  difficulty  they  were  all  at  last  placed  in  the 
boat  and  shoved  off ;  but  Mrs  Seagrave  was  so  ill,  that  her 
husband  was  obliged  to  support  her  in  his  arms,  and 
William  took  an  oar.  They  landed  very  safely,  and  carried 
Mrs  Seagrave  up  to  the  tent,  and  laid  her  down  on  one  of 
the  mattresses.     She  asked  for  a  little  water. 

"  And  I  have  forgotten  to  bring  any  with  me :  well,  I 
am  a  stupid  old  man ;  but  I'll  go  on  board  directly,"  said 
Ready :  "  to  think  that  I  should  be  so  busy  in  bringing 
other  things  on  shore  and  forget  the  greatest  necessary  in 
life !  The  fact  is,  I  intended  to  look  for  it  on  the 
island  as  soon  as  I  could,  as  it  would  save  a  great  deal  of 
trouble." 

Ready  returned  on  board  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  brought 
on  shore  two  kegs  of  fresh  water,  which  he  and  William 
rolled  up  to  the  tent. 

Juno  had  completely  finished  her  task,  and  Mrs  Seagrave 


Masterman  Ready  49 

having  drank  some  water,  declared  that  she  was  much 
better. 

"  I  shall  not  return  on  board  any  more  to-night,"  said 
Ready,  "  I  feel  tired — very  tired  indeed." 

"  You  must  be,  my  good  man,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave ; 
"  you  have  been  up  many  nights,  and  have  worked  very 
hard  all  day.     Do  not  think  of  doing  any  more." 

"And  I  hav'n't  touched  food  this  day,  or  even  quenched 
my  thirst,"  replied  Ready,  sitting  down. 

"  You  are  ill,  are  you  not,  Ready  ?"  said  William. 

"  A  little  faint,  Master  William ;  I'm  not  so  young  as  I 
was.     Could  you  give  me  a  little  water  ? " 

"  Stop,  William,  I  will,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  taking  up  a 
tin  can  which  had  been  filled  for  his  wife :  "  here,  Ready, 
drink  this." 

"  I  shall  be  better  soon,  sir ;  Til  just  lie  down  a  little, 
and  then  I'll  have  a  biscufc  and  a  little  meat." 

Poor  old  Ready  was  indeed  quite  tired  out ;  but  he  ate 
something,  and  felt  much  revived.  Juno  was  very  busy ; 
she  had  given  the  children  some  of  the  salt  meat  and 
biscuit  to  eat.  The  baby,  and  Tommy,  and  Caroline  had 
been  put  to  bed,  and  the  second  tent  was  nearly  ready. 

"  It  will  do  very  well  for  to-night,  Juno,"  said  Mr 
Seagrave  j  "  we  have  done  work  enough  for  this  day." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Ready,  "  and  I  think  we  ought  to 
thank  God  for  his  mercies  to  us  before  we  go  to  sleep. 
Have  we  not  much  to  thank  him  for  ?  Had  the  weather 
been  bad,  and  the  water  rough,  should  we  have  been  so 
comfortably  on  shore  as  we  are  now  ?  Has  it  not  been  a 
mercy  ? " 

"  You  remind  me  of  my  duty,  Ready ;  let  us  thank 
him  for  his  goodness,  and  pray  to  him  for  his  protection 
before  we  go  to  sleep." 

"Do,  my  dear  husband,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  from  her 
tent ;  "  I  can  hear  you  and  join  with  you." 

Mr  Seagrave  then  offered  up  a  prayer  of  thankfulness ; 
and  they  all  retired  to  rest. 

R  D 


50  Masterman  Ready- 


Chapter  XI 

Mr  Seagrave  was  the  first  who  awoke  and  rose  from  his 
bed  on  the  ensuing  morning.  He  stepped  out  of  the  tent, 
and  looked  around  him.  The  sky  was  clear  and  brilliant. 
A  light  breeze  ruffled  o'er  the  surface  of  the  water,  and 
the  tiny  waves  rippled  one  after  another  upon  the  white 
sand  of  the  cove.  To  the  left  of  the  cove  the  land  rose, 
forming  small  hills,  behind  which  appeared  the  continua- 
tion of  the  cocoa-nut  groves.  To  the  right,  a  low  ridge 
of  coral  rocks  rose  almost  as  a  wall  from  the  sea,  and 
joined  the  herbage  and  brushwood  at  about  a  hundred 
paces,  while  the  wreck  of  the  Pacific,  lying  like  some  huge 
stranded  monster,  formed  the  prominent  feature  in  the 
landscape.  The  sun  was  powerful  where  its  beams  could 
penetrate ;  but  where  Mr  Seagrave  stood,  the  cocoa-nuts 
waved  their  feathering  leaves  to  the  wind,  and  offered  an 
impervious  shade.  A  feeling  of  the  extreme  beauty  of 
the  scene,  subdued  by  the  melancholy  created  by  the  sight 
of  the  wrecked  vessel,  pervaded  the  mind  of  Mr  Seagrave 
as  he  meditated  over  it. 

"Yes,"  thought  he,  "if  tired  with  the  world  and  its 
anxieties,  I  had  sought  an  abode  of  peace  and  beauty,  it 
would  have  been  on  a  spot  like  this.  How  lovely  is  the 
scene  ! — what  calm — what  content — what  a  sweet  sadness 
does  it  create  !  How  mercifully  have  we  been  preserved 
when  all  hope  appeared  to  be  gone ;  and  how  bountifully 
have  we  been  provided  for,  now  that  we  have  been  saved, 
— and  yet  I  have  dared  to  repine,  when  I  ought  to  be  full 
of  gratitude  !  May  God  forgive  me !  Wife,  children, 
all  safe,  nothing  to  regret  but  a  few  worldly  goods  and  a 
seclusion  from  the  world  for  a  time — yes,  but  for  how 
long  a  time  ! — What ! — rebellious  still ! — for  the  time  that 
it  shall  please  God  in  his  wisdom  to  ordain."  Mr  Sea- 
grave turned  back  to  his  tent.  William,  Tommy,  and  old 
Ready  still  remained  fast  asleep.     "  Excellent  old  man," 


Masterman  Ready  51 

thought  Mr  Seagrave,  "  if  ever  we  return  to  the  busy 
scenes  of  life,  your  kindness  and  your  Christian  feelings 
shall  have  their  reward,  as  far  as  it  is  in  my  power  to  repay 
you.  What  a  heart  of  oak  is  hid  under  that  rugged  bark  ! 
— Had  it  not  been  for  his  devotion — his  utter  sacrifice  of 
self — where  might  I  and  all  those  dear  helpless  creatures 
have  been  now  ?  Sleep  on,  good  old  man,  and  may 
Heaven  bless  you  !  " 

The  dogs  who  had  crept  into  the  tent  and  laid  them- 
selves down  upon  the  mattresses  by  the  side  of  William 
and  Tommy,  now  fawned  upon  Mr  Seagrave.  William 
woke  up  with  their  whining,  and  having  received  a  caution 
from  his  father  not  to  wake  old  Ready,  he  dressed  himself 
and  came  out. 

" Had  I  not  better  call  Juno,  father,"  said  William ;  "I 
think  I  can,  without  waking  mamma,  if  she  is  asleep." 

"  Then  do,  if  you  can,  my  boy ;  and  I  will  see  what 
cooking  utensils  Ready  has  brought  on  shore." 

William  soon  returned  to  his  father,  stating  that  his 
mother  was  in  a  sound  sleep,  and  that  Juno  had  got  up 
without  waking  her  or  the  two  children. 

"  Well,  we'll  see  if  we  cannot  get  some  breakfast  ready 
for  them,  William.  Those  dry  cocoa-nut  leaves  will  make 
an  excellent  fire." 

"  But,  father,  how  are  we  to  light  the  fire  ?  we  have  no 
tinder-box  or  matches." 

"No;  but  there  are  other  ways,  William,  although,  in 
most  of  them,  tinder  is  necessary.  The  savages  can  pro- 
duce fire  by  rubbing  a  soft  piece  of  wood  against  a  hard 
one.  I'm  afraid  that  we  should  be  a  long  while  doing 
that,  but  we  have  gunpowder,  and  can  make  tinder  by 
wetting  it  and  rubbing  it  on  a  rag  or  piece  of  paper,  or 
indeed  a  piece  of  soft  wood ;  and  we  have  two  ways  of 
igniting  gunpowder — one  is  by  a  flint  and  steel,  and  the 
other  by  collecting  the  sun's  rays  into  one  focus  by  a 
magnifying  class." 

"We  have  no  magnifying  glass." 

"  No ;  but  we  can  obtain  one  out  of  a  telescope  when 


52  Masterman  Ready 

we  go  on  board  again ;  at  present  we  have  no  other  means 
than  with  the  musket." 

"  But,  father,  when  we  have  lighted  the  fire,  what  have 
we  to  cook  ?  we  have  no  tea  or  coffee." 

"  No,  I  do  not  think  we  have,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave. 

"  But  we  have  potatoes,  father." 

"  Yes,  William,  but  don't  you  think  it  would  be  better 
if  we  made  our  breakfast  off  the  cold  beef  and  pork  and 
ship's  biscuit  for  once,  and  not  use  the  potatoes  ?  we  may 
want  them  all  to  plant,  you  know ;  but  why  should  we  not 
go  on  board  of  the  ship  ourselves  ?  you  can  pull  an  oar 
pretty  well,  and  we  must  all  learn  to  work  now,  and  not 
leave  everything  for  poor  old  Ready  to  do.  It  will  be 
some  time  before  we  are  as  handy  as  that  old  man,  or  as 
prepared  to  meet  every  difficulty.     Come,  William." 

Mr  Seagrave  then  went  down  to  the  cove :  the  little 
boat  was  lying  on  the  beach,  just  lifted  by  the  rippling 
waves  ;  they  pushed  her  off,  and  got  into  her.  "  I  knew 
where  the  steward  kept  the  tea  and  coffee,  father,"  said 
William,  as  they  pulled  on  board ;  "  Mamma  would  like 
some  for  breakfast  I'm  sure,  and  I'll  milk  the  goats  for 
baby." 

Although  they  were  neither  of  them  very  handy  at  the 
oar,  they  were  soon  alongside  of  the  ship  ;  and,  having 
made  the  boat  fast,  they  climbed  on  board. 

William  first  went  down  to  the  cabin  for  the  tea  and 
coffee,  and  then  left  his  father  to  collect  other  things  while 
he  went  to  milk  the  goats,  which  he  did  in  a  tin  pan.  He 
then  poured  the  milk  into  a  bottle,  which  he  had  washed 
out,  that  it  might  not  be  spilt,  and  went  back  to  his  father. 

"  I  have  filled  these  two  baskets  full  of  a  great  many 
things,  William,  which  will  be  very  acceptable  to  your 
mamma.     What  else  shall  we  take  ? " 

"  Let  us  take  the  telescope  at  all  events,  father ;  and  let 
us  take  a  whole  quantity  of  clothes — they  will  please 
mamma :  the  clean  ones  are  all  in  the  drawers — we  can 
bring  them  up  in  a  sheet  *,  and  then,  father,  let  us  bring 
some    of    the    books    on  shore ;    and   I'm  sure    mamma 


Masterman  Ready  53 

will  long   for   her   Bible   and    prayer-book ; — here    they 


are." 


"  You  are  a  good  boy,  William,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave. 
"  I  will  now  take  those  things  up  to  the  boat,  and  then 
return  for  the  rest." 

In  a  short  time  everything  was  put  into  the  boat,  and 
they  pulled  on  shore  again.  They  found  Juno,  who  had 
been  washing  herself,  waiting  for  them  at  the  cove,  to 
assist  to  take  up  the  things." 

"  Well,  Juno,  how  do  you  find  yourself  this  morning  ? " 

"  Quite  well,  massa,"  said  Juno :  and  then  pointing  to 
the  clear  water,  she  said,  "Plenty  fish  here." 

"  Yes,  if  we  only  had  lines,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave. 
"  I  think  Ready  has  both  hooks  and  lines  somewhere. 
Come,  Juno,  take  up  this  bundle  of  linen  to  your  tent :  we 
can  manage  all  the  rest." 

"Then,  Juno,  you  may  as  well  take  this  bottle  of  milk, 
which  I  got  for  little  Albert's  breakfast." 

"  Tankee,  Massa  William ;  dat  very  good  of  you." 

"  And  you  must  be  quick,  Juno ;  for  there's  Tommy  on 
his  legs,  and  running  about  in  his  shirt." 

When  they  arrived  at  the  tent  they  found  that  everyone 
was  awake  except  old  Ready,  who  appeared  still  to  sleep 
very  sound.  Mrs  Seagrave  had  passed  a  very  good  night, 
and  felt  herself  much  refreshed.  William  made  some 
touch-paper,  which  he  lighted  with  one  of  the  glasses 
from  the  telescope,  and  they  soon  had  a  good  fire.  Mr 
Seagrave  went  to  the  beach,  and  procured  three  large 
stones  to  rest  the  saucepan  on ;  and  in  half  an  hour  the 
water  was  boiling,  and  the  tea  made. 


Chapter  XII 

Juno  had  taken  the  children  down  to  the  cove,  and, 
walking  out  into  the  water  up  to  her  knees,  had  dipped 
them  in  all  over,  as  the  shortest  way  of  washing  them, 


54  Masterman  Ready 

and  had  then  dressed  them  and  left  them  with  their 
mother,  while  she  assisted  William  to  get  the  cups  and 
saucers  and  plates  for  breakfast.  Everything  was  laid  out 
nice  and  tidy  between  the  two  tents,  and  then  William 
proposed  that  he  should  awaken  old  Ready. 

"  Yes,  my  boy,  you  may  as  well  now — he  will  want  his 
breakfast ;  artd,  besides,  he  would  not  like  to  be  away 
when  we  all  meet  to  return  thanks  to  God  before  we  sit 
down  to  our  meal." 

William  went  and  pushed  Ready  on  the  shoulder. 
"  Ready,  have  you  had  sleep  enough  ?  "  said  William,  as 
the  old  man  sat  up. 

"  Yes,  Master  William.  I  have  had  a  good  nap  I 
expect ;  and  now  I  will  get  up,  and  see  what  I  can  get 
for  breakfast  for  you  all." 

"  Do,"  replied  William,  laughing. 

Ready  was  soon  dressed,  for  he  had  only  taken  off  his 
jacket  when  he  laid  down.  He  put  it  on,  and  came  out  of 
the  tent ;  when,  to  his  astonishment,  he  found  the  whole 
party  (Mrs  Seagrave  having  come  out  with  the  children) 
standing  round  the  breakfast,  which  was  spread  on  the 
ground. 

"  Good  morning,  Ready,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  extending 
her  hand.     Mr  Seagrave  also  shook  hands  with  him. 

"  You  have  had  a  good  long  sleep,  Ready,"  said  Mr 
Seagrave,  "and  I  would  not  waken  you  after  your  fatigue 
of  yesterday." 

"  I  thank  you  kindly,  sir ;  and  I  am  glad  to  see  that 
madam  is  so  well :  and  I  am  not  sorry  to  see  that  you  can 
do  so  well  without  me,"  continued  Ready,  smiling. 

"  Indeed,  but  we  cannot,  I'm  afraid,"  replied  Mrs  Sea- 
grave ;  "  had  it  not  been  for  you  and  your  kindness, 
where  should  we  have  been  now  ?  " 

"We  can  get  a  breakfast  ready  without  you,"  said  Mr 
Seagrave  ;  "  but  without  you,  my  good  fellow,  I  think  we 
never  should  have  required  another  breakfast  by  this  time ; 
but  we  will  tell  Ready  all  we  have  done  while  we  eat  our 
breakfast :  now,  my  dear,  if  you  please."     Mrs  Seagrave 


Masterman  Ready  5$ 

then  read  a  chapter  from  the  Bible,  and  afterwards 
they  all  knelt  down  while  Mr  Seagrave  offered  up  a 
prayer. 

While  they  were  at  breakfast,  William  told  Ready  how 
they  had  gone  on  board,  and  what  they  had  brought  on 
shore,  and  he  also  mentioned  how  Juno  had  dipped  all  the 
children  in  the  sea. 

"  But  Juno  must  not  do  that  again,"  replied  Ready, 
"  until  I  have  made  all  safe ;  you  know  that  there  are 
plenty  of  sharks  about  these  islands,  and  it  is  very 
dangerous  to  go  into  the  water." 

"  Oh,  Mr  Seagrave,  what  an  escape  they  have  had  !  " 
cried  Mrs  Seagrave,  shuddering. 

"  It's  very  true,"  continued  Ready ;  "  but  they  don't 
keep  so  much  to  the  windward  of  the  islands  where  we 
are  at  present ;  but  still  that  smooth  cove  is  a  very  likely 
place  for  them  to  come  into  ;  so  it's  just  as  well  not  to  go 
in  again,  Juno,  until  I  have  time  to  make  a  place  for  you 
to  bathe  in  in  safety  ;  but  we  have  plenty  to  do  before  we 
think  of  that,  and  as  soon  as  we  can  get  as  much  as  we 
want  from  the  ship,  we  must  decide  whether  we  shall 
stay  here  or  not." 

"  Stay  here  or  not,  Ready  ! — what  do  you  mean  ?" 

"  Why,  we  have  not  yet  found  any  water,  and  that  is 
the  first  necessary  of  life — if  there  is  no  water  on  this  side 
of  the  island,  we  must  pitch  our  tents  somewhere  else." 

"  That's  very  true,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave;  "I  wish  we 
could  find  time  to  explore  a  little." 

"  So  we  can,  sir  5  but  we  must  not  lose  this  fine 
weather.  It  may  be  rough  to-morrow,  and  then  we  shall 
not  be  able  to  get  anything  from  the  ship.  We  had 
better  go  now.  You,  sir,  William  and  me.  You  and 
William  can  remain  on  board  to  collect  the  things,  and  I 
will  land  them  on  the  beach  for  Juno  to  bring  up." 

The  whole  day  was  spent  in  landing  every  variety  of 
article  which  they  thought  could  be  useful.  All  the 
small  sails,  cordage,  twine,  canvas,  small  casks,  saws, 
chisels,  and   large  nails,  and   elm   and  oak  plank,   were 


$6  Masterman  Ready- 

brought  on  shore  before  dinner.  After  they  had  taken  a 
hearty  dinner,  they  went  to  work  again.  The  cabin  tables 
and  chairs,  all  their  clothes,  some  boxes  of  candles,  two 
bags  of  coffee,  two  of  rice,  two  more  of  biscuits,  several 
pieces  of  beef  and  pork,  and  bags  of  flour,  for  they  could 
not  manage  to  get  a  whole  cask  out,  some  more  water,  the 
grindstone,  and  Mrs  Seagrave's  medicine  chest  were  then 
landed.  When  Ready  came  off  again,  he  said,  "  Our  poor 
boat  is  getting  very  leaky,  and  will  not  take  much  more  on 
shore  without  being  repaired  ;  and  Juno  has  not  been  able 
to  get  half  the  things  up — they  are  too  heavy  for  one 
person — I  think  we  shall  do  pretty  well  now,  Mr  Seagrave  ^ 
and  we  had  better,  before  it  is  dark,  get  all  the  animals  on 
shore.  I  don't  much  like  to  trust  them  to  swim  on  shore, 
but  they  are  awkward  things  in  a  boat.  We'll  try  a  pig,  at 
all  events  •,  and  while  I  get  one  up,  do  you  and  Master 
William  tie  the  legs  of  the  fowls,  and  put  them  into  the 
boat ;  as  for  the  cow,  she  cannot  be  brought  on  shore,  she 
is  still  lying  down,  and,  I  expect,  won't  get  up  again  any 
more  ;  it  is  the  way  with  these  animals  ;  however,  I  have 
given  her  plenty  of  hay,  and,  if  she  don't  rise,  why  I  will 
kill  her,  and  we  can  salt  her  down." 

Ready  went  down  below,  and  the  squealing  of  the  pig 
was  soon  heard ;  he  came  on  deck  with  it  hanging  over  his 
back,  by  the  hind  legs,  and  threw  it  into  the  sea  over  the 
gunnel:  the  pig  floundered  at  first;  but  after  a  few  seconds, 
turned  its  head  away  from  the  ship  and  swam  for  the  shore. 

"He  goes  ashore  straight  enough,"  said  Ready,  who, 
with  Mr  Seagrave  and  William,  was  watching  the  animal  \ 
but  a  minute  afterwards,  Ready  exclaimed, — 

"  I  thought  as  much — we've  lost  him  ! 

"  How  ?  "  replied  Mr  Seagrave. 

"  D'ye  see  that  black  thing  above  water  pushing  so  fast 
to  the  animal  ? — that's  the  back  fin  of  a  shark,  and  he  will 
have  the  poor  thing — there,  he's  got  him  !  "  said  Ready,  as 
the  pig  disappeared  under  the  water  with  a  heavy  splash. 
'*  Well,  he's  gone  ;  better  the  pig  than  your  little  children, 
Mr  Seagrave." 


Masterman  Ready  57 

"  Yes,  indeed,  God  be  praised  ! — that  monster  might 
have  been  close  to  them  at  the  time  that  Juno  took  them 
into  the  water." 

"  He  was  not  far  off,  I  reckon,"  replied  Ready  ;  "  how- 
ever, he  must  be  content  with  what  he  has  got,  for  he'll 
get  no  more.  We'll  go  down  now  and  tie  the  legs  of  the 
other  four  pigs,  and  bring  them  up  ;  with  what's  already 
in  the  boat  they  will  be  a  good  load." 

As  soon  as  the  pigs  were  in  the  boat,  Ready  sculled  it 
on  shore,  while  Mr  Seagrave  and  William  brought  up  the 
goats  and  sheep  ready  for  the  next  trip.  Ready  soon 
returned ;  "  Now  this  will  be  our  last  trip  for  to-day,  and, 
if  I  am  any  judge  of  the  weather,  our  last  trip  for  some 
days  ;  it  is  banking  up  very  thick  in  the  offing.  This  trip 
we'll  be  able  to  put  into  the  boat  a  bag  of  corn  for  the 
creatures,  in  case  we  require  it,  and  then  we  may  say  good- 
bye to  the  ship  for  a  day  or  two  at  least.  I  have  given 
the  cow  water,  left  a  bucket  or  two  with  her,  and  a  truss 
of  hay  ;  but  I  don't  much  expect  we  shall  find  her  alive 
when  we  come  back  to  the  ship  again." 

They  then  all  got  into  the  boat,  which  was  very  deeply 
laden,  for  the  corn  was  heavy,  but  they  got  safe  on  shore, 
although  they  leaked  very  much.  Having  landed  the 
goats  and  sheep,  William  led  them  up  to  the  tent,  where 
they  remained  very  quietly  ;  the  pigs  had  run  away,  and 
so  had  the  fowls ;  but  this  was  to  be  expected.  The 
beach  was  quite  covered  with  the  quantity  of  things  they 
had  brought  on  shore. 

"  That's  what  I  call  a  good  day's  work,  Mr  Seagrave," 
said  Ready ;  "  the  little  boat  has  done  its  duty  well ; 
but  we  must  not  venture  in  her  again  until  I  have  put 
her  into  a  little  better  condition." 

They  were  not  at  all  sorry,  after  their  hard  day's  work, 
to  find  that  Juno  had  prepared  coffee  for  them ;  and  while 
they  were  drinking  it,  they  narrated  to  Mrs  Seagrave 
the  tragical  death  of  the  poor  pig  by  the  shark.  Mrs 
Seagrave  embraced  her  little  boy,  who  was  in  her  arms, 
when  she  heard  the  tale ;    and  when   she  lifted    up  her 


$8  Masterman  Ready- 

head  again,  there  was  a  tear  of  thankfulness  rolling  down 
her  cheek.  Poor  Juno  appeared  quite  frightened  at  the 
danger  which  the  children  had  been  in,  even  now  that 
it  was  all  over. 

"We  shall  have  plenty  to  do  here  to-morrow,"  observed 
Mr  Seagrave,  *f  in  getting  things  into  their  places." 

"  We  shall  have  plenty  to  do  for  some  time,  I  expect," 
replied  Ready.  "  In  two  months,  or  thereabouts,  we 
shall  have  the  rainy  season  come  on,  and  we  must  be 
under  cover  before  that  time,  if  we  possibly  can.  We 
can't  expect  this  weather  to  last  all  the  year  round." 

"  What's  the  first  thing  we  must  do,  Ready  ?  "  inquired 
Mr  Seagrave. 

"To-morrow,  we  had  better  fix  up  another  tent  or 
two,  to  stow  away  all  the  articles  we  have  brought  on 
shore :  that  will  be  one  good  day's  work  ;  we  shall  then 
know  where  to  lay  our  hands  upon  everything,  and  seo 
what  we  want." 

"  That's  very  true  ;  and  what  shall  we  do- then  ?  " 

"  Why  then,  sir,  I  think  we  must  make  a  little  expedi- 
tion to  explore  the  island,  and  find  out  where  we  must 
build  our  house." 

"  Can  we  build  a  house  ?  "  said  William. 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir,  and  with  more  ease  than  you  would 
think.  There's  no  tree  so  valuable  as  the  cocoa-nut  tree  ; 
and  the  wood  is  so  light  that  we  can  easily  move  it 
about." 

"  Why,  what  are  the  great  merits  of  the  cocoa-nut 
tree  ?  "  said  Mrs  Seagrave. 

*'  HI  tell  you,  madam  :  in  the  first  place,  you  have  the 
wood  to  build  the  house  with ;  then  you  have  the  bark 
with  which  you  can  make  ropes  and  lines,  and  fishing 
nets  if  you  please  ;  then  you  have  the  leaves  for  thatching 
your  house,  and  also  for  thatching  your  head  if  you  please, 
for  you  may  make  good  hats  out  of  it,  and  baskets  also  ; 
then  you  have  the  fruit,  which,  as  a  nut,  is  good  to  eat, 
and  very  useful  in  cooking ;  and  in  the  young  nut  is  the 
milk,  which  is  also  very  wholesome  ;  then  you  have  the 


Masterman  Ready  59 

oil  to-burn,  and  the  shell  to  make  cups  of,  if  you  hav'n't 
any,  and  then  you  can  draw  toddy  from  the  tree,  which 
is  very  pleasant  to  drink  when  fresh,  but  will  make  you 
tipsy  if  it  is  kept  too  long ;  and  then,  after  that,  you  may 
turn  the  toddy  into  arrack,  which  is  a  very  strong 
spirit.  Now  there  is  no  tree  which  yields  so  many 
useful  things  to  man,  for  it  supplies  him  with  almost 
everything." 

"  I  had  no  idea  of  that,"  replied  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  At  all  events,  we've  plenty  of  them,"  said  William. 

"  Yes,  Master  William,  there's  no  want  of  them  ;  and 
I  am  glad  of  it,  for  had  there  been  but  few,  I  should  not 
have  liked  to  destroy  them.  People  might  be  wrecked 
here,  as  well  as  ourselves,  and  without  the  good  fortune 
that  we  have  had  in  getting  so  many  necessaries,  and  more 
than  necessaries,  on  shore  ;  and  they  might  be  obliged 
to  depend  wholly  upon  the  cocoa-nut  trees  for  their 
support." 

"  Well,  I  think  it's  time  for  us  all  to  go  to  bed,"  said 
Mr  Seagrave.     "William,  bring  your  mamma  the  Bible." 


Chapter   XIII 

We  shall,  for  the  future,  omit  the  regular  daily  routine 
of  our  party  on  the  island,  as  we  shall  have  quite  enough 
to  do  to  narrate  the  various  incidents  which  each  day 
brought  forth.  When  breakfast  was  over  the  next 
morning,  Ready  observed,  "  Now,  Mr  Seagrave,  we  must 
hold  a  council  of  war,  and  decide  upon  an  exploring  party 
for  to-morrow  ;  and,  when  we  have  settled  that,  we  will 
find  some  useful  way  of  employing  ourselves  for  the  rest 
of  the  day.  The  first  question  is,  of  whom  is  the  party 
to  consist  ? — and  upon  that  I  wish  to  hear  your  opinion." 

"  Why,  Ready,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,  "  it  appears  to  me 
that  you  and  I  should  go." 

"  Surely    not    both    of    you,    my    dear,"    interrupted 


6o.  Masterman  Ready- 

Mrs  Seagrave.     "  You  can  do  without  my  husband,  can 
you  not,  Ready  ? " 

"  I  certainly  should  have  liked  to  have  had  Mr  Seagrave 
to  advise  with,  ma'am,"  replied  Ready;  "but  still  I  have 
thought  upon  it,  and  do  not  think  that  Master  William 
would  be  quite  sufficient  protection  for  you ;  or,  at  all 
events,  you  would  not  feel  that  he  was,  which  is  much 
the  same  thing  ;  and  so,  perhaps,  if  Mr  Seagrave  has 
no  objection,  it  would  perhaps  be  better  that  he  remained 
with  you." 

"  Would  you  go  alone,  then,  Ready  ? "  said  Mr 
Seagrave. 

"  No,  sir,  I  do  not  think  that  would  be  right,  either — 
some  accident  might  happen ;  there  is  no  saying  what 
might  happen,  although  there  is  every  appearance  of 
safety ;  but  we  are  in  the  hands  of  Providence,  who 
doeth  with  us  as  he  thinks  fit.  I  should  like,  therefore, 
to  have  some  one  with  me  :  the  question  is,  whether  it  be 
Master  William  or  Juno  ? " 

"  Take  me,"  said  Tommy. 

"  Take  you,  Master  Tommy  ! "  said  Ready,  laughing  : 
"  then  I  must  take  Juno  to  take  care  of  you.  No  ;  I  think 
they  cannot  spare  you.  Your  mamma  will  want  you 
when  we  are  gone  ;  you  are  so  useful  in  gathering  wood 
for  the  fire,  and  taking  care  of  your  little  sister  and 
brother,  that  your  mother  cannot  part  with  you ;  so  I 
must  have  either  Juno  or  your  brother  William." 

"  And  which  would  you  prefer,  Ready  ? "  said  Mrs 
Seagrave. 

"  Master  William,  certainly,  ma'am,  if  you  will  let 
him  go  with  me,  as  you  could  ill  spare  the  girl.  I  was 
only  afraid  you  would  raise  some  objection." 

"  Indeed,  I  do  not  like  it ;  I  would  rather  lose  Juno  for 
a  time,"  replied  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  My  dear  wife,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  "  what  did  Ready 
just  now  say  ? — that  we  were  in  the  hands  of  Providence. 
Recollect  how  Providence  has  preserved  us  in  such  awful 
dangers — how  we  are  landed  in  safety.     And  now,  will 


Masterman  Ready  61 

you  not  put  trust  in  that  Providence,  when  the  dangers 
are,  as  I  trust,  only  imaginary  ?  " 

"  I  was  wrong,  my  dear  husband,  very  wrong ;  but 
sickness  and  suffering  have  made  me,  I  fear,  not  only 
nervous  and  frightened,  but  selfish :  I  must  and  will  shake 
it  off.  Hitherto  I  have  only  been  a  clog  and  an  en- 
cumbrance to  you  ;  but  I  trust  I  shall  soon  behave  better, 
and  make  myself  useful.  If  you  think,  my  dear  husband, 
that  it  would  be  better  that  you  should  go  with  Ready 
instead  of  William,  I  am  quite  content ;  I  was  very  wrong, 
indeed,  to  raise  an  objection  at  the  time.  Go,  then, 
with  Ready,  and  may  Heaven  protect  you  both  !  " 

"No,  ma'am,"  replied  Ready,  "Master  William  will 
do  just  as  well.  Indeed,  ma'am,  I  would  go  by  myself 
with  pleasure  :  I  have  no  fears  of  anything  happening ; 
but  still  we  know  not  what  the  day  may  bring  forth,  and 
I  might  be  taken  ill — I  might  hurt  myself — I  am  an  old 
man,  you  know ;  and  then  I  was  thinking  that  if  any 
accident  was  to  happen  to  me,  you  might  miss  me — that's 
all — I  did  not  say  it  for  my  own  sake." 

"That  I  am  sure  you  did  not,  my  good  old  friend," 
replied  Mrs  Seagrave  ;  "  but  a  mother  is  foolish  at  times." 

"  Over  anxious,  ma'am,  perhaps,  but  not  foolish,  begging 
your  pardon,"  replied  Ready. 

"  Well,  then,  William  shall  go  with  you,  Ready ; 
— that  point's  settled,"  observed  Mr  Seagrave :  "  what 
is  the  next  ? " 

"  The  next  is  to  prepare  for  our  journey.  We  must 
take  some  provisions  and  water  with  us,  a  gun  and  some 
ammunition,  a  large  axe  for  me,  and  one  of  the  hatchets 
for  Master  William  ;  and,  if  you  please,  Romulus  and 
Remus  had  better  come  with  us,  and  Vixen  shall  remain 
with  you.  Juno,  put  a  piece  of  beef  and  a  piece  of  pork 
into  the  pot.  Master  William,  will  you  fill  four  quart 
bottles  with  water,  while  I  sew  up  a  knapsack  out  of 
canvas  for  each  of  us  ?  " 

"  And  what  shall  I  do,  Ready  ?"  said  Mr  Seagrave. 

"  Why,  sir,  if  you  will  have  the  kindness  to  sharpen 


62  Masterman  Ready 

the  axe  and  the  hatchet  on  the  grindstone,  it  would  be 
of  great  service,  and  Master  Tommy  can  turn  it,  he  is  such 
a  strong  little  man,  and  so  fond  of  work." 

Tommy  jumped  up  directly  ;  he  was  quite  strong 
enough  to  turn  the  grindstone,  but  he  was  much  fonder 
of  play  than  work  ;  but  as  Ready  had  said  that  he  was 
fond  of  it,  he  wished  to  prove  that  such  was  the  case, 
and  Tommy  did  work  very  hard  ;  for  Ready,  who  was 
making  the  knapsacks,  sat  by  them,  and  when  Tommy 
was  inclined  to  leave  off,  he  praised  him  for  behaving 
so  well,  and  pointed  out  to  Mrs  Seagrave  what  a  clever 
boy  he  was ;  so  Tommy,  who  liked  to  be  praised,  turned 
the  handle  of  the  grindstone  until  the  perspiration  ran 
down  his  forehead.  Before  they  went  to  prayers  and 
retired  for  the  night,  the  axe  was  sharpened,  the  knapsacks 
made,  and  everything  else  ready. 

"  When  do  you  intend  to  start,  Ready  ? "  said  Mr 
Seagrave. 

"  Why,  sir,  I  should  like  to  get  off  at  the  dawn  of  day, 
when  the  heat  is  not  so  great." 

"  And  when  do  you  intend  to  come  back  ? "  said  Mrs 
Seagrave. 

"  Why,  madam,  we  have  provisions  enough  for  three 
days:  if  we  start  to-morrow  morning,  which  is  Wednes- 
day, I  hope  to  be  back  some  time  on  Friday  evening  '9 
but  I  won't  be  later  than  Saturday  morning  if  I  can  help 
it." 

"  Good-night — and  good-bye,  mother,"  said  William, 
"  for  I  shall  not  see  you  to-morrow." 

"  God  bless  and  protect  you,  my  dear  child,"  replied 
Mrs  Seagrave.  "Take  care  of  him,  Ready,  and  good-bye 
to  you  till  we  meet." 

Mrs  Seagrave  went  into  the  tent  to  hide  the  tears  which 
she  could  not  suppress.  "  It's  all  new  to  her  now,  sir," 
observed  Ready  ;  "in  a  little  while  she  won't  mind  it  so 
much." 

"  Very  true,  Ready,"  said  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  but  she  is 
nervous  and  weak  just   now ;  and  as  she  never  has  yet 


Masterman  Ready  63 

parted  with  her  children  for  an  hour,  and  her  boy  is  going 
she  knows  not  where,  I  think  she  takes  it  pretty  well." 

"  She  does,  sir,  she  does,"  replied  Ready  :  "  a  mother's 
fears  are  as  natural  as  a  mother's  love.  If  I  find  I  cannot 
do  all  I  wish  by  the  time  agreed,  I  will  come  back  at  all 
events,  and  start  again." 

"  Do,  Ready ;  that  will  give  her  confidence :  and  now, 
good-bye,  and  may  success  attend  you  !  " 


Chapter  XIV 

Ready  was  up  before  the  sun  had  appeared,  and  he 
awakened  William ;  they  dressed  themselves  in  silence, 
because  they  did  not  wish  that  Mrs  Seagrave  should  be 
disturbed.  The  knapsacks  had  been  already  packed,  with 
two  bottles  of  water  in  each,  wrapped  round  with  cocoa- 
nut  leaves,  to  prevent  their  breaking,  and  the  beef  and 
pork  divided  between  each  knapsack.  Ready's,  which  was 
larger  than  William's,  held  the  biscuit  and  several  other 
things  which  Ready  had  prepared  in  case  they  might 
require  them ;  and  round  his  waist  he  twisted  two  cords, 
to  tie  the  dogs  if  required. 

As  soon  as  the  knapsacks  were  on,  Ready  took  the  axe 
and  gun,  and  asked  William  if  he  thought  he  could  carry 
a  small  spade  on  his  shoulder,  which  they  had  brought  on 
shore  along  with  the  shovels.  William  replied  that  he 
could ;  and  the  dogs,  who  appeared  to  know  they  were 
going,  were  all  ready  standing  by  them,  when  Ready 
went  to  one  of  the  small  water  casks,  took  a  drink  himself, 
gave  one  to  William,  and  then  as  much  to  the  dogs  as  they 
would  drink.  Having  done  this,  just  as  the  sun  rose,  they 
turned  into  the  cocoa-nut  grove,  and  were  soon  out  of 
sight  of  the  tents. 

"  Now,  Master  William,  do  you  know,"  said  Ready, 
stopping  after  they  had  walked  twenty  yards,  "  by  what 
means  we  may  find  our  way  back  again  ;  for  you  see  this 


64  Masterman  Ready 

forest  of  trees  is  rather  puzzling,  and  there  is  no  path  to 
guide  us  ? " 

"  No,  I  am  sure  I  cannot  tell :  I  was  thinking  of  the 
very  same  thing  when  you  spoke  ;  and  of  Tom  Thumb, 
who  strewed  peas  to  find  his  way  back,  but  could  not 
do  it,  because  the  birds  picked  them  all  up." 

"  Well,  Tom  Thumb  did  not  manage  well,  and  we  must 
try  to  do  better  ;  we  must  do  as  the  Americans  always  do 
in  their  woods, — we  must  blaze  the  trees." 

"  Blaze  them  !  what,  set  fire  to  them  ? "  replied 
William. 

"  No,  no,  Master  William.  Blaze  is  a  term  they  use 
(why,  I  know  not,  except  that  there  must  be  a  term  for 
everything)  when  they  cut  a  slice  of  the  bark  off  the  trunk 
of  a  tree,  just  with  one  blow  of  a  sharp  axe,  as  a  mark  to 
find  their  way  back  again.  They  do  not  blaze  every  tree, 
but  about  every  tenth  tree  as  they  go  along,  first  one  to 
the  right,  and  then  one  to  the  left,  which  is  quite  suffi- 
cient ;  and  it  is  very  little  trouble, — they  do  it  as  they 
walk  along,  without  stopping.  So  now  we'll  begin  :  you 
take  the  other  side,  it  will  be  more  handy  for  you,  to  have 
your  hatchet  in  your  right  hand  ;  I  can  use  my  left.  See 
now — just  a  slice  off  the  bark — the  weight  of  the  axe  does 
it  almost,  and  it  will  serve  for  a  guide  through  the  forest 
for  years." 

"  What  an  excellent  plan  !  "  observed  William,  as  they 
walked  along,  occasionally  marking  the  trees. 

"  But  I  have  another  friend  in  my  pocket,"  replied 
Ready,  "  and  I  must  use  him  soon." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  Poor  Captain  Osborn's  pocket-compass.  You  see, 
William,  the  blazing  will  direct  us  how  to  go  back  again  ; 
but  it  will  not  tell  us  what  course  we  are  now  to  steer. 
At  present,  I  know  we  are  going  right,  as  I  can  see 
through  the  wood  behind  us  ;  but  by-and-bye  we  shall  not 
be  able,  and  then  I  must  make  use  of  the  compass." 

"  I  understand  that  very  well ;  but  tell  me,  Ready,  why 
do  you  bring  the  spade  with  us — what  will  be  the  use  of 


Masterman  Ready  6$ 

it  ?  You  never  said  you  were  going  to  take  one  yesterday 
morning." 

"  No,  Master  William,  I  did  not,  as  I  did  not  like  to 
make  your  mother  anxious  about  anything  ;  but  the  fact 
is,  I  am  very  anxious  myself  about  one  thing,  and  that  is 
as  to  whether  there  is  any  water  on  this  island  ;  if  there  is 
not,  we  shall  have  to  quit  it  sooner  or  later,  for  although 
we  may  get  water  by  digging  in  the  sand,  it  would  be  too 
brackish  to  use  for  any  time,  and  would  make  us  all  ill. 
We  have  not  much  on  shore  now ;  and  if  the  bad  weather 
comes  on,  we  may  not  be  able  to  get  any  more  from  the 
wreck.  Now,  very  often,  there  will  be  water  if  you  dig 
for  it,  although  it  does  not  show  above  ground  ;  and  there- 
fore I  brought  the  spade." 

"  You  think  of  everything,  Ready." 

"  No,  I  do  not,  Master  William  ;  but,  in  our  present 
situation,  I  think  of  more  things  than  perhaps  your  father 
and  mother  would  :  they  have  never  known  what  it  is  to 
be  put  to  their  shifts — they  have  never  been  in  situations 
requiring  them  to  think  about  such  things  ;  but  a  man  like 
me,  who  has  been  all  his  life  at  sea,  and  who  has  been 
wrecked,  and  suffered  hardships  and  difficulties,  and  has 
been  obliged  to  think  or  die,  has  a  greater  knowledge,  not 
only  from  his  own  sufferings,  but  by  hearing  how  others 
have  acted  when  they  were  in  distress.  Necessity,  they 
say,  is  the  mother  of  invention  ;  and  it's  very  true,  Master 
William,  for  it  sharpens  a  man's  wits  ;  and  it  is  very 
curious  what  people  do  contrive  when  they  are  compelled 
to  do  so,  especially  seamen." 

"  And  where  are  we  going  to  now,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Right  to  the  leeward  side  of  the  island ;  and  I  hope 
we  shall  be  there  before  it  is  dark." 

"Why  do  you  call  it  the  leeward  side  of  the 
island  ? " 

"  Because  among  these  islands  the  winds  almost  always 
blow  one  way :  we  landed  on  the  windward  side  ;  the 
wind  is  at  our  back ;  now  put  up  your  finger,  and  you 
will  feel  it  even  among  the  trees." 

R  E 


66  Masterman  Ready 

"  No,  I  cannot,"  replied  William,  as  he  held  up  his 
finger. 

"  Then  wet  your  ringer,  and  try  again." 

William  wet  his  finger  in  his  mouth,  and  held  it  up 
again  :  "  Yes,  I  do  feel  it  now,"  said  he  ;  "  but  why  is 
that  ?  " 

"  Because  the  wind  blows  against  the  wet,  and  you  feel 
the  cold." 

As  Ready  said  this,  the  dogs  growled,  then  started 
forward,  and  barked. 

"  What  can  be  there  ?  "  cried  William. 

"  Stand  still,  Master  William,"  replied  Ready,  cocking 
his  gun,  "  and  I  will  go  forward  to  see."  Ready  advanced 
cautiously  with  the  gun  to  his  hip.  The  dogs  barked 
more  furiously  ;  and  at  last,  out  of  a  heap  of  cocoa-nut 
leaves  collected  together,  out  burst  all  the  pigs  which  had 
been  brought  on  shore,  grunting  and  galloping  away  as 
fast  as  they  could,  with  the  dogs  in  pursuit  of  them. 

"  It's  only  the  pigs,  Master  William,"  said  Ready, 
smiling  ;  "  I  never  thought  I  should  be  half-frightened  by 
a  tame  pig.  Here,  Romulus  !  here,  Remus  !  come  back  !  " 
continued  Ready,  calling  to  the  dogs.  "Well,  Master 
William,  this  is  our  first  adventure." 

"  I  hope  we  shall  not  meet  with  any  one  more  danger- 
ous," replied  William,  laughing  ;  "  but  I  must  say  that  I 
was  alarmed." 

"  No  wonder  ;  for,  although  not  likely,  it  is  possible 
there  may  be  wild  animals  on  this  island,  or  even  savages  ; 
we  must  always  be  prepared  for  the  worst  in  an  unknown 
country ;  but  being  alarmed  is  one  thing,  Master  William, 
and  being  afraid  is  another  :  a  man  may  be  alarmed,  and 
stand  his  ground,  as  you  did ;  but  a  man  that  is  afraid  will 
run  away." 

"  I  do  not  think  I  shall  ever  run  away  and  leave  you, 
Ready,  if  there  is  danger." 

"  I'm  sure  you  will  not,  Master  William  ;  but  still  you 
must  n'  c  be  rash  :  and  now  we  will  go  on  again,  as  soon 
as  I  have  uncocked  my  gun.     While  I  think  of  it,  Master 


Masterman  Ready  67 

"William,  as  you  may  have  to  carry  one  very  often,  never 
by  any  chance  leave  your  gun  cocked  ;  I  have  seen  more 
accidents  happen  from  people  cocking  their  guns,  and  for- 
getting to  uncock  them  afterwards,  than  you  can  have  any 
idea  of.  Recollect,  until  you  want  to  fire,  never  cock  your  gun. 
Now,  I  must  look  at  the  compass,  for  we  have  turned 
about,  so  that  I  do  not  know  which  way  we  are  to  go. 
All's  right  now — come  along,  dogs  ! " 

Ready  and  William  continued  their  way  through  the 
cocoa-nut  grove  for  more  than  an  hour  longer,  marking 
the  trees  as  they  went  along  ;  they  then  sat  down  to  take 
their  breakfast,  and  the  two  dogs  lay  down  by  them. 

"  Don't  give  the  dogs  any  water,  Master  William,  nor 
any  of  the  salt  meat ;  give  them  biscuit  only." 

"  But  they  are  very  thirsty  ;  may  not  I  give  them  a 
little  ?  " 

"  No :  we  shall  want  it  all  ourselves,  in  the  first  place ; 
and,  in  the  next,  I  wish  them  to  be  thirsty.  And,  Master 
William,  take  my  advice,  and  only  drink  a  small  quantity 
of  water  at  a  time :  it  is  quite  sufficient  to  quench  the 
thirst ;  and  the  more  you  drink,  the  more  you  want." 

"  Then  I  should  not  eat  so  much  salt  meat." 

"  Very  true  ;  the  less  you  eat  the  better,  unless  we  find 
water,  and  fill  our  bottles  again." 

"  But  we  have  our  axes,  and  can  always  cut  down  a 
cocoa-nut,  and  get  the  milk  from  the  young  nuts." 

"  Very  true  ;  and  fortunate  it  is  that  we  have  that  to 
resort  to ;  but  still  we  could  not  do  very  well  on  cocoa- 
nut  milk  alone,  even  if  it  were  to  be  procured  all  the  year 
round.  Now,  Master  William,  we  will  go  on  if  you  do 
not  feel  tired." 

"Not  in  the  least ;  I  am  tired  of  seeing  nothing  but  the 
stems  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees,  and  shall  be  very  glad  when 
we  are  through  the  wood." 

"  Then  the  faster  we  walk,  the  better,"  said  Ready  ; 
"  as  far  as  I  could  judge  as  we  were  coming  to  the  island, 
we  must  be  about  half-way  across  now." 

Ready  and   William  recommenced  their  journey ;  and, 


68  Masterman  Ready- 

after  half  an  hour's  walking,  they  found  that  the  ground 
was  not  so  level  as  it  had  been — sometimes  they  went 
gradually  up  hill,  at  others  down. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  find  the  island  is  not  so  fiat  here, 
Master  Willy  ;  we  have  a  better  chance  of  finding  water." 

"  But,  look,  it  is  much  steeper  before  us,"  replied 
William,  as  he  barked  a  tree  ;  "  it's  quite  a  hill." 

"  So  much  the  better — let  us  push  on." 

The  ground  now  became  more  undulating,  although  still 
covered  with  cocoa-nut  trees,  even  thicker  together  than 
before.  They  continued  their  march,  occasionally  looking 
at  the  compass,  until  William  showed  symptoms  of  weari- 
ness, for  the  wood  had  become  more  difficult  to  get  through 
than  at  first. 

'*  How  many  miles  do  you  think  we  have  walked, 
Ready  ? "  said  Willy. 

"  About  eight,  I  should  think." 

11  Not  more  than  eight  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I  do  not  think  that,  altogether,  we  have  made 
more  than  two  miles  an  hour  ;  it's  slow  work  travelling  by 
compass,  and  marking  the  trees  ;  but  I  think  the  wood 
looks  lighter  before  us,  now  that  we  are  at  the  top  of  this 
hill." 

"  It  does,  Ready  ;  I  fancy  I  can  see  the  blue  sky  again." 

"  Your  eyes  are  younger  than  mine,  Master  William, 
and  perhaps  you  may — however,  we  shall  soon  find  out." 

They  now  descended  into  a  small  hollow,  and  then  went 
up  hill  again.  As  soon  as  they  arrived  at  the  top,  William 
cried  out,  "  The  sea,  Ready  !  there's  the  sea  !  " 

"Very  true,  Master  William,  and  I'm  not  sorry  for  it." 

"  I  thought  we  never  should  have  got  out  of  that  nasty 
wood  again,"  said  William,  as  he  impatiently  pushed  on  ; 
and  at  last  stood  clear  of  the  cocoa-nut  grove.  Ready 
soon  joined  him,  and  they  surveyed  the  scene  before  them 
in  silence. 


Masterman  Ready  69 


Chapter    XV 

"  Oh  !  how  beautiful !  "  exclaimed  William,  at  last  ;  "  I'm 
sure  mamma  would  like  to  live  here.  I  thought  the  other 
side  of  the  island  very  pretty,  but  it's  nothing  compared  to 
this." 

"It's  very  beautiful,  Master  William,"  replied  Ready, 
thoughtfully. 

Perhaps  a  more  lovely  scene  could  scarcely  be  imagined. 
The  cocoa-nut  grove  terminated  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  beach  very  abruptly,  for  there  was  a  rapid 
descent  for  about  thirty  feet  from  where  they  stood  to  the 
land  below,  on  which  was  a  mixture  of  little  grass  knolls 
and  brushwood,  to  about  fifty  yards  from  the  water's  edge, 
where  it  was  met  with  dazzling  white  sand,  occasionally 
divided  by  narrow  ridges  of  rock  which  ran  inland.  The 
water  was  of  a  deep  blue,  except  where  it  was  broken 
into  white  foam  on  the  reefs,  which  extended  for  miles 
from  the  beach,  and  the  rocks  of  which  now  and  then 
showed  themselves  above  water.  On  the  rocks  were 
perched  crowds  of  gannets  and  men-of-war  birds,  while 
others  wheeled  in  the  air,  every  now  and  then  darting 
down  into  the  blue  sea,  and  bringing  up  in  their  bills  a  fish 
out  of  the  shoals,  which  rippled  the  water,  or  bounded 
clear  of  it  in  their  gambols.  The  form  of  the  coast  was 
that  of  a  horse-shoe  bay — two  points  of  land  covered  with 
shrubs  extending  far  out  on  each  side.  The  line  of  the 
horizon,  far  out  at  sea,  was  clear  and  unbroken. 

Ready  remained  for  some  time  without  speaking;  he 
scanned  the  horizon  right  and  left ;  he  surveyed  the  reefs 
in  the  distance  ;  and  then  he  turned  his  eyes  along  the 
land.     At  last  William  said — 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  am  thinking  that  we  must  look  for  water  as 
fast  as  we  can." 

"But  why  are  you  so  anxious  ?" 


70  Masterman  Ready 

"  Because,  Master  Willy,  I  can  see  no  island  to  leeward 
of  us  as  I  expected,  and  therefore  there  is  less  chance  of 
getting  off  this  island  ;  and  this  bay,  although  very  beauti- 
ful is  full  of  reefs,  and  I  see  no  inlet,  which  makes  it 
awkward  for  many  reasons.  But  we  cannot  judge  at  first 
sight.  Let  us  now  sit  down  and  take  our  dinner,  and 
after  that  we  will  explore  a  little.  Stop — before  we  leave 
where  we  stand  we  must  make  a  good  mark  upon  the 
trees  close  to  where  we  have  come  out  of  the  wood,  or  we 
shall  not  find  our  blaze  again  in  a  hurry  when  we  wish  to 
go  back  again." 

Ready  cut  two  wide  marks  in  the  stems  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  trees,  and  then  descended  with  William  to  the  low 
ground,  where  they  sat  down  to  eat  their  dinner.  As 
soon  as  their  meal  was  finished  they  first  walked  down  to 
the  water's  edge,  and  Ready  turned  his  eyes  inland  to  see 
if  he  could  discover  any  little  ravine  or  hollow  which 
might  be  likely  to  contain  fresh  water.  "There  are  one 
or  two  places  there,"  observed  Ready,  pointing  to  them 
with  his  finger,  "  where  the  water  has  run  down  in  the 
rainy  season :  we  must  examine  them  carefully,  but  not 
now ;  to-morrow  will  be  time  enough.  I  want  to  find  out 
whether  there  is  any  means  of  getting  our  little  boat 
through  this  reef  of  rocks,  or  otherwise  we  shall  have 
very  hard  work  (if  we  change  our  abode  to  this  spot)  to 
bring  all  our  stores  through  that  wood ;  it  would  take  us 
weeks,  if  not  months ;  so  we  will  pass  the  rest  of  this  day 
in  examining  the  coast,  Master  William,  and  to-morrow 
we  will  try  for  fresh  water." 

"  Look  at  the  dogs,  Ready,  they  are  drinking  the  sea- 
water,  poor  things." 

"  They  won't  drink  much  of  that  I  expect ;  you  see 
they  don't  like  it  already." 

"How  beautiful  the  corals  are — look  here,  they  grow 
like  little  trees  under  the  water, — and  look  here,  here  is 
really  a  flower  in  bloom  growing  on  that  rock  just  below 
the  water." 

"Put  your  finger  to  it,  Master  William,"  said  Ready. 


Masterman  Ready  71 

William  did  so,  and  the  flower,  as  he  called  it,  immedi- 
ately shut  up. 

"  Why,  it's  flesh,  and  alive  !  " 

"  Yes,  it  is ;  I  have  often  seen  them  before :  they  call 
them,  I  think,  sea-anemones — they  are  animals ;  but  I 
don't  know  whether  they  are  shell-fish  or  not.  Creation 
is  very  wonderful.  Now,  let  us  walk  out  to  the  end  of 
this  point  of  land,  and  see  if  we  can  discover  any  opening 
in  the  reef.  The  sun  is  going  down,  and  we  shall  not 
have  more  than  an  hour's  daylight,  and  then  we  must  look 
out  for  a  place  to  sleep  in." 

"But  what  is  that?"  cried  William,  pointing  to  the 
sand — "  that  round  dark  thing  ?  " 

"  That's  what  I'm  very  glad  to  see,  Master  William : 
it's  a  turtle ;  they  come  up  about  this  time  in  the  evening 
to  drop  their  eggs,  and  then  they  bury  them  in  the 
sand." 

"  Can't  we  catch  them  ? " 

"Yes,  we  can  catch  them  if  we  go  about  it  quietly-, 
but  you  must  take  care  not  to  go  behind  them,  or  they 
will  throw  such  a  shower  of  sand  upon  you,  with  their 
hind  flappers  or  fins,  that  they  would  blind  you  and  escape 
at  the  same  time.  The  way  to  catch  them  is  to  get  at 
their  heads  and  turn  them  over  on  their  backs  by  one  of 
the  fore-fins,  and  then  they  cannot  turn  back  again." 

"  Let  us  go  and  catch  that  one." 

"  Indeed,  Master  William,  I  should  think  it  very  foolish 
to  do  it,  as  we  could  not  take  it  away,  and  it  would  die 
to-morrow  from  the  heat  of  the  sun.  It's  not  right  to 
take  life  away  uselessly,  and  if  we  destroy  that  turtle  now, 
we  may  want  it  another  time." 

"  I  did  not  think  of  that,  Ready :  if  we  come  to  live 
here,  I  suppose  we  shall  catch  them  whenever  we  want 
them." 

"  No,  we  shall  not,  for  they  only  come  on  shore  in  the 
breeding  season;  but  we  will  make  a  turtle  pond  some- 
where which  they  cannot  get  out  of,  but  which  the  sea 
flows  into ;   and  then  when  we  catch  them  we  will  put 


72  Masterman  Ready 

them  into  it,  and  have  them  ready  for  use  as  we  require 
them." 

"  That  will  be  a  very  good  plan,"  replied  William. 

They  now  continued  their  walk ;  and,  forcing  their  way 
through  the  brushwood  which  grew  thick  upon  the  point 
of  land,  soon  arrived  at  the  end  of  it. 

"What  is  that  out  there?"  said  William,  pointing  to 
the  right  of  where  they  stood. 

"  That  is  another  island,  Master  William,  which  I  am 
very  glad  to  see  even  in  that  direction,  although  it  will 
not  be  so  easy  to  gain  it,  if  we  are  obliged  to  leave  this 
for  want  of  water  5  it  is,  however,  possible  that  we  might. 
It  is  a  much  larger  island  than  this  at  all  events,"  con- 
tinued Ready,  scanning  the  length  of  the  horizon,  along 
which  he  could  see  the  tops  of  the  trees. — "  Well,  Master 
Willy,  we  have  done  very  well  for  our  first  day.  I  am 
rather  tired,  and  so,  I  presume,  are  you ;  so  now  we  will 
go  and  look  for  a  place  to  lie  down  and  pass  the  night." 

They  returned  to  the  high  ground  where  the  cocoa-nut 
grove  ended,  and  collecting  together  several  branches 
and  piles  of  leaves,  made  a  good  soft  bed  under  the  trees. 

"  And  now  we'll  have  a  little  water,  and  go  to  bed. 
Look,  Master  William,  at  the  long  shadow  of  the  trees  ! 
the  sun  has  nearly  set." 

"  Shall  I  give  the  dogs  some  water  now,  Ready  ?  see, 
poor  Remus  is  licking  the  sides  of  the  bottles." 

"  No,  do  not  give  them  any  :  it  appears  to  be  cruel, 
but  I  want  the  intelligence  of  the  poor  animals  to-morrow, 
and  the  want  of  water  will  make  them  very  keen,  and  we 
shall  turn  it  to  good  account.  So  now,  William,  we  must 
not  forget  to  return  thanks  to  a  merciful  God,  and  to 
beg  his  care  over  us  for  this  night  :  we  little  know  what 
the  day  may  bring  forth.  Could  you  ever  have  imagined, 
a  month  back,  that  you  would  be  on  this  island  in  company 
with  an  old  man  like  me,  sleeping  in  the  open  air  ?  If 
any  one  had  told  you  so,  you  would  never  have  believed 
it  ;  yet  here  you  are,  William,  and  you  see  how  he 
disposeth  of  us  as  he  thinks  proper.     Good-night,  sir  !  " 


Masterman  Ready  73 

Chapter  XVI 

William  slept  as  sound  as  if  he  had  been  on  shore  in 
England  upon  a  soft  bed  in  a  warm  room — so  did  old 
Ready  ;  and  when  they  awoke  the  next  morning  it  was 
broad  daylight.  The  poor  dogs  were  suffering  for  want 
of  water,  and  it  pained  William  very  much  to  see  them 
with  their  tongues  out,  panting  and  whining  as  they 
looked  up  to  him.  "  Now,  Master  William,"  said  Ready, 
"  shall  we  take  our  breakfast  before  we  start,  or  have  a 
walk  first  ? " 

"  Ready,  I  cannot  really  drink  a  drop  of  water  myself, 
and  I  am  thirsty,  unless  you  give  a  little  to  these  poor 
dogs." 

"  I  pity  the  poor  dumb  creatures  as  much  as  you  do, 
Master  Willy  ;  depend  upon  it,  it's  not  out  of  unkindness  ; 
on  the  contrary,  it  is  kindness  to  ourselves  and  them  too, 
which  makes  me  refuse  it  to  them ;  however,  if  you 
like,  we  will  take  a  walk  first,  and  see  if  we  can  find 
any  water.  Let  us  first  go  to  the  little  dell  to  the  right, 
and  if  we  do  not  succeed,  we  will  try  farther  on  where 
the  water  has  run  down  during  the  rainy  season."  William 
was  very  glad  to  go,  and  away  they  went,  followed  by 
the  dogs,  Ready  having  taken  up  the  spade,  which  he 
carried  on  his  shoulder.  They  soon  came  to  the  dell, 
and  the  dogs  put  their  noses  to  the  ground,  and  snuffed 
about ;  Ready  watched  them ;  at  last  they  lay  down 
panting. 

"Let  us  go  on,  sir,"  said  Ready  thoughtfully;  they 
went  on  to  where  the  run  of  water  appeared  to  have 
been — the  dogs  snuffed  about  more  eagerly  than  before. 

"  You  see,  Master  William,  these  poor  dogs  are  now 
so  eager  for  water,  that  if  there  is  any,  they  will  find  it 
out  where  we  never  could.  I  don't  expect  water  above 
ground,  but  there  may  be  some  below  it.  This  beach 
is  hardly  far  enough  from  the  water's  edge,  or  I  should 
try  in  the  sand  for  it." 


74  Masterman  Ready 

"  In  the  sand ! — but  would  it  not  be  salt  ? "  replied 
William. 

"No;  not  if  at  a  good  distance  from  the  sea-beach, 
for  you  see,  William,  the  sand  by  degrees  filters  the 
sea-water  fresh,  and  very  often  when  the  sand  runs  in 
a  long  way  from  the  high-water  mark,  if  you  dig  down, 
you  will  find  good  fresh  water,  at  other  times  it  is  a 
little  brackish,  but  still  fit  for  use.  I  wish  that  this  fact 
was  better  known  among  seamen  than  it  is,  it  would  have 
saved  many  a  poor  fellow  from  a  great  deal  of  agony. 
There's  nothing  so  dreadful  as  being  without  water, 
Master  William.  I  know  what  it  is  to  be  on  an  allow- 
ance of  half  a  pint  a  day,  and  I  assure  you  it  is  cruel 
work." 

"Look,  Ready,  at  Romulus  and  Remus — how  hard 
they  are  digging  with  their  paws  there  in  the  hollow." 

"  Thanks   to  Heaven  that   they  are,  Master  William ; 
you  don't  know  how  happy  you  have  made  me  feel ;  for, 
to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  was  beginning  to  be  alarmed." 
"But  why  do  they  dig  ?  " 

"  Because  there  is  water  there,  poor  animals.  Now 
you  see  the  advantage  of  having  kept  them  in  pain  for  a 
few  hours  ;  it  is  in  all  probability  the  saving  of  all  of  us, 
for  we  must  either  have  found  water  or  quitted  this 
island.  Now  let  us  help  the  poor  dogs  with  the  spade, 
and  they  shall  soon  be  rewarded  for  their  sufferings." 

Ready  walked  quickly  to  where  the  dogs  continued 
digging :  they  had  already  got  down  to  the  moist  earth, 
and  were  so  eagerly  at  work,  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
he  could  get  them  out  of  his  way  to  use  his  spade.  He 
had  not  dug  two  feet  before  the  water  trickled  down, 
and  in  four  or  five  minutes  the  dogs  had  sufficient  to 
plunge  their  noses  in,  and  to  drink  copiously. 

"  Look  at  them,  sir,  how  they  enjoy  it, — so  did  the 
Israelites  fainting  in  the  desert,  when  Moses  struck  the 
rock  of  stone,  and  the  water  poured  out  in  torrents  for 
their  relief.  Do  you  recollect  that  part  of  the  Scriptures, 
Master  William  ? " 


Masterman  Ready  75 

"  To  be  sure  I  do.     I  have  a  picture  of  it  at  home." 

"  Well,  I  don't  think  any  Israelite  among  them  felt 
more  grateful  than  I  do  now,  William.  This  was  the 
one  thing  wanting,  but  it  was  the  one  thing  indispensable. 
Now  we  have  everything  we  can  wish  for  on  this  island, 
and  if  we  are  only  content,  we  may  be  happy — ay,  much 
happier  than  are  those  who  are  worrying  themselves  to 
heap  up  riches,  not  knowing  who  shall  gather  them. 
See,  the  poor  animals  have  had  enough  at  last — and  how 
they  have  swelled  themselves  out !  Now,  shall  we  go 
back  to  breakfast  ? " 

"  Yes,"  replied  William :  "  I  shall  enjoy  it  now,  and 
have  a  good  drink  of  water  myself." 

"  That  is  a  plenteous  spring,  depend  upon  it,  sir,"  said 
Ready,  as  they  walked  back  to  where  they  had  slept  and 
left  their  knapsacks  j  "  but  we  must  clear  it  out  further 
up  among  the  trees,  where  the  sun  cannot  reach  it,  and 
then  it  will  be  cool,  and  not  be  dried  up.  We  shall  have 
plenty  of  work  for  the  next  year  at  least,  if  we  remain 
here.  Where  we  are  now  will  be  a  capital  spot  to  build 
our  house  on." 

As  soon  as  the  breakfast  was  over,  Ready  said — "Now 
we  must  go  down  and  explore  the  other  point,  for  you 
see,  Master  William,  I  have  not  yet  found  a  passage 
through  the  reef,  and  as  our  little  boat  must  come  round 
this  side  of  the  island,  it  is  at  the  point  on  this  side  that 
I  must  try  to  find  an  entrance.  When  I  was  on  the 
opposite  point  it  did  appear  to  me  that  the  water  was 
not  broken  close  to  this  point ;  and  should  there  be  a 
passage  we  shall  be  very  fortunate." 

They  soon  arrived  at  the  end  of  the  point  of  land, 
and  found  that  Ready  was  not  wrong  in  his  supposition ; 
the  water  was  deep,  even  close  to  the  beach,  and  there 
was  a  passage  of  many  yards  wide.  The  sea  was  so 
smooth,  and  the  water  so  clear,  that  they  could  see  down 
to  the  rocky  bottom,  and  watched  the  fish  as  they  darted 
along.  "  Look  there,"  said  Willy,  pointing  out  about 
fifty  yards  from  the  beach,  "  a  great  shark,  Ready," 


y6  Masterman  Ready 

"  Yes,  I  see  him,  sir,"  replied  Ready  :  "  there's  plenty 
of  them  here,  depend  upon  it  j  and  you  must  be  very 
careful  how  you  get  into  the  water  here :  the  sharks 
always  keep  to  the  leeward  of  the  island,  and  for  one 
you'll  find  where  Juno  bathed  your  little  brother,  you 
will  find  fifty  here.  I'm  quite  satisfied  now,  William, 
we  shall  do  very  well,  and  all  we  have  now  to  think  of  is 
moving  away  from  the  other  side  of  the  island  as  fast  as 
possible." 

"  Shall  we  go  back  to-day  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  think  so,  for  we  shall  only  be  idle  here,  and 
your  mother  is  anxious  about  you,  depend  upon  it.  It  is 
not  twelve  o'clock,  I  should  think,  and  we  shall  have 
plenty  of  time  ;  for  you  see  it  is  one  thing  to  walk  through 
a  wood  and  mark  your  way,  and  another  to  go  back  again 
with  the  path  pointed  out  to  you.  So  I  think  we  had 
better  start  at  once  ;  we  will  leave  the  spade  and  axe 
here,  for  it  is  no  use  taking  them  back  again.  The 
musket  I  will  carry,  for  although  it  is  not  likely  to 
be  wanted,  still  we  must  always  be  prepared.  First,  let 
us  go  back  and  look  at  the  spring,  and  see  how  the  water 
flows,  and  then  we  will  be  off." 

As  they  walked  along  the  edge  of  the  sandy  beach 
they  found  the  sea-birds  hovering  close  to  them  ;  all  of  a 
sudden  a  large  shoal  of  fish  threw  themselves  high  and 
dry  on  the  sand,  and  they  were  followed  by  several  of  a 
larger  size,  which  also  lay  flapping  on  the  beach,  while 
the  sea-birds,  darting  down  close  to  the  feet  of  William 
and  Ready,  and  seizing  up  the  fish,  flew  away  with  them. 

"  How  very  strange,"  said  William,  surprised. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  but  you  see  how  it  is — the  small  fish  were 
chased  by  the  larger  ones,  which  are  bonettas,  and 
in  their  fright  ran  upon  the  beach.  These  bonettas  were 
so  anxious  to  catch  them,  that  they  came  on  shore  also, 
and  then  the  gannets  picked  them  all  up.  There's  a 
moral  in  this,  Master  William, — when  people  are  too 
eager  in  their  pursuit  they  run  blindly  into  danger." 

"  But  the  little  fish  were  not  in  pursuit  ?  " 


Masterman  Ready  77 

"  No  ;  I  referred  to  the  large — with  the  little  fish  it 
was  out  of  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire,  as  the  old  proverb 
says  :  but  let  us  go  on  to  the  spring." 

They  found  the  hole  which  Ready  had  dug  quite  full 
of  water,  and,  tasting  it,  it  proved  very  sweet  and  good. 
Overjoyed  at  this  discovery,  they  covered  up  the  articles 
they  agreed  to  leave  behind  them  with  some  boughs 
under  the  notched  cocoa-nut  trees,  and,  calling  the  dogs, 
set  of?  on  their  journey  back  again  to  the  cove. 


Chapter  XVII 

Guided  by  the  marks  made  on  the  trees,  "William  and 
Ready  made  rapid  progress  in  their  return,  and  in 
less  than  two  hours  found  themselves  almost  clear  of  the 
wood  which  had  taken  them  nearly  eight  hours  to  force 
their  way  through  on  the  day  before. 

"I  feel  the  wind  now,  Ready,"  observed  William, 
"  and  we  must  be  nearly  through  the  wood ;  but  it 
appears  to  me  to  be  very  dark." 

"I  was  just  thinking  the  same,  sir,"  replied  Ready. 
"  I  should  not  wonder  if  there  is  a  storm  brewing  up ; 
and  if  so,  the  sooner  we  are  back  again  the  better,  for 
your  mother  will  be  frightened." 

As  they  proceeded,  the  rustling  and  waving  of  the 
boughs  of  the  trees,  and  ever  and  anon  a  gust  of  wind, 
followed  by  a  moaning  and  creaking  sound,  proved  that 
such  was  the  fact ;  and  as  they  emerged  from  the  grove, 
they  perceived  that  the  sky,  as  it  became  visible  to  them, 
was  of  one  dark  leaden  hue,  and  no  longer  of  the  brilliant 
blue  which  it  usually  had  presented  to  their  sight. 

"  There  is  indeed  a  gale  coming  on,  Master  William," 
said  Ready,  as  they  cleared  the  wood  :  "let  us  go  on  to 
the  huts  as  fast  as  possible,  for  we  must  see  that  all  is 
as  secure  as  we  can  make  it." 

The  dogs  now  bounded  forward ;  and  at  their  appear- 


yS  Masterman  Ready 

ance  at  the  huts  Mr  Seagrave  and  Juno  came  out,  and 
seeing  Ready  and  William  advancing,  made  known  the 
welcome  tidings  to  Mrs  Seagrave,  who,  with  the  children, 
had  remained  within.  In  a  moment  more  William  was 
pressed  in  his  mother's  arms. 

"  I  am  glad  that  you  are  come  back,  Ready,"  said  Mr 
Seagrave,  shaking  him  by  the  hand  after  he  had  embraced 
William,  "  for  I  fear  that  bad  weather  is  coming  on." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  replied  Ready,  "  and  we  must  expect 
a  blusterous  night.  It  indeed  looks  threatening.  This 
will  be  one  of  the  storms  which  are  forerunners  of  the 
rainy  season.  However,  sir,  we  have  good  news  for 
you,  and  must  only  take  this  as  a  warning  to  hasten  our 
departure  as  soon  as  possible.  We  shall  have  fine  weather 
after  this  for  a  month  or  so,  although  we  must  expect 
a  breeze  now  and  then.  However,  we  must  work  hard, 
and  do  our  best ;  and  now,  if  you  please,  sir,  you  and 
Juno,  Master  William  and  I,  will  take  the  first  precaution 
necessary,  which  is,  to  go  down  and,  between  us,  haul 
up  our  little  boat  as  far  from  the  beach  as  we  possibly 
can,  for  the  waves  will  be  high  and  run  a  long  way  up, 
and  our  boat  will  be  our  main  dependence  soon." 

The  four  went  down  as  soon  as  Ready  had  sawed  the 
ends  of  the  spars  which  had  been  cut  off,  into  three 
rollers,  to  fix  under  the  keel ;  with  the  help  afforded  by 
them,  the  boat  was  soon  hauled  up  high  into  the  brush- 
wood, where  it  was  considered  by  Ready  to  be  perfectly 
safe. 

"  I  meant  to  have  worked  upon  her  immediately," 
observed  Ready;  "but  I  must  wait  now  till  the  gale 
is  over  ;  and  I  did  hope  to  have  got  on  board  once  more, 
and  look  after  some  things  which  I  have  since  remembered 
would  have  been  useful,  and  to  see  if  that  poor  cow  was 
alive  yet ;  but  I  strongly  suspect,"  continued  he,  looking 
at  the  weather,  "  that  we  shall  never  go  on  board  of  that 
poor  vessel  again.  Hear  the  moaning  of  the  coming 
storm,  sir ;  look  how  the  sea-birds  wheel  about  and 
scream,  as  if  to  proclaim  her  doom ;    but  we  must  not 


Masterman  Ready  79 

wait  here,  sir,  now — the  tents  must  be  made  more  secure, 
for  they  will  have  to  hold  up  against  no  small  force  of 
wind,  if  I  mistake  not :  it  won't  do  for  madam  and  the 
children  to  be  blown  into  the  woods."  When  they 
arrived  at  the  tents  they  found  Master  Tommy,  who  had 
come  out  to  speak  to  them. 

"  Well,  Tommy,  how  are  you  ?  "  said  William. 

"  I  am  very  well,  and  so  is  mamma ;  we  did  not  want 
you  to  come  back — I  took  care  of  them  all." 

"  I  don't  doubt  but  you  were  very  useful,  Master 
Tommy,"  replied  Ready  ;  "  now  you  must  come  and  help 
us  get  some  cord  and  canvas  out  of  the  stores,  that  we 
may  prevent  the  rain  from  coming  into  your  mamma's  tent ; 
so  take  my  hand,  and  come  along,  and  leave  William  to 
tell  mamma  what  we  have  been  doing." 

Ready,  assisted  by  Mr  Seagrave,  got  out  some  heavy 
canvas  and  lines,  and  commenced  putting  it  as  a  double 
cover  over  the  tents,  to  keep  out  the  rain ;  they  also 
secured  the  tents  with  guys  and  stays  of  rope,  so  as  to 
prevent  them  being  blown  down ;  while  Juno  with  a 
shovel  deepened  the  trench  which  had  been  made  round 
the  tents,  so  that  the  water  might  run  off  more  easily. 
They  did  not  leave  off  work  until  all  was  completed,  and 
then  they  sat  down  to  a  late  meal.  During  the  time  they 
were  at  work,  Ready  had  made  Mr  Seagrave  acquainted 
with  what  they  had  discovered  and  done  during  the 
exploring  expedition,  and  the  adventure  with  the  pigs 
made  them  all  laugh  heartily. 

As  the  sun  went  down,  the  weather  threatened  still 
more ;  the  wind  now  blew  strong,  and  the  rocky  beach 
was  lashed  by  the  waves  and  white  with  spray,  while  the 
surf  roared  as  it  poured  in  and  broke  upon  the  sand  in  the 
cove.  The  whole  family  had  retired  to  bed  except  Ready, 
who  said  that  he  would  watch  the  weather  a  little  before 
he  turned  in.  The  old  man  walked  towards  the  beach, 
and  leaned  against  the  gunnel  of  the  little  boat,  which  they 
had  hauled  up  in  the  brushwood,  and  there  he  remained 
with  his  keen  grey  eye  fixed  upon  the  distance,  which  was 


80  Masterman  Ready 

now  one  opaque  mass,  except  where  the  white  foam  of 
the  waters  gleamed  through  the  darkness  of  the  night ! 
"Yes!"  thought  he;  "the  winds  and  the  waves  are 
summoned  to  do  his  bidding,  and  evenly  do  they  work 
together — as  one  rises,  so  does  the  other;  when  one 
howls,  the  other  roars  in  concert — hand  in  hand  they  go 
in  their  fury  and  their  force.  Had  they  been  called  up 
but  one  week  since,  where  would  have  been  those  who 
have  now  been,  as  it  were,  entrusted  to  my  weak  help  ? 
The  father,  the  mother,  the  children,  the  infant  at  the 
breast,  and  I,  the  grey-headed  old  man, — all  buried  fathoms 
deep,  awaiting  our  summons ;  but  they  were  restrained  by 
his  will,  and  by  his  will  we  were  saved.  Will  those 
timbers  which  bore  us  here  so  miraculously  hold  together 
till  morning  ?  I  should  think  not.  What  are  the  iron 
bolts  and  fastenings  of  weak  man,  compared  with  the  force 
of  God's  elements :  they  will  snap  as  yarns ;  and  by  to- 
morrow's dawn,  the  fragments  of  the  stout  ship  will  be 
washing  and  tossing  on  the  wild  surf.  Well,  it  will  be  a 
kindness  to  us,  for  the  waters  will  perform  the  labour 
which  we  could  not ;  they  will  break  up  the  timbers  for 
our  use,  and  throw  on  shore  from  the  hold  those  articles 
which  we  could  not  reach  with  our  little  strength.  We 
shall  have  more  cause  to  be  thankful."  A  sharp  flash  of 
lightning  struck  upon  the  old  man's  eyes,  and  obstructed 
his  vision  for  the  moment.  "  The  storm  will  soon  be  at 
its  height,"  thought  he ;  "I  will  watch  the  tents,  and  see 
how  they  stand  up  against  its  force."  Ready  turned  away 
to  walk  to  the  tents ;  and,  as  he  did  so,  the  rain  came 
pattering  down,  and  the  wind  howled  louder  than  before. 
In  a  minute  or  two  the  darkness  became  so  intense  that  he 
could  hardly  find  his  way  back  to  the  tents.  He  turned 
round,  but  could  not  see,  for  he  was  blinded  by  the  heavy 
rain.  As  nothing  could  be  done,  the  old  man  went  into 
the  tent,  and  sheltered  himself  from  the  storm,  although 
he  would  not  lie  down,  lest  his  services  might  be  required. 
Although  the  others  had  retired  to  bed,  with  the  exception 
of  Tommy  and  the  children,  they  had  not  taken  off  their 


V 


Masterman  Ready  81 

clothes ;  Mr  Seagrave  had  thrown  himself  down  without 
undressing ;  and  "William,  perceiving  this,  had  done  the 
same.  Mrs  Seagrave,  although  she  would  not  show  her 
alarm,  had  also  remained  dressed,  and  Juno  had  followed 
her  example. 


Chapter  XVIII 

The  storm  now  raged  furiously,  the  lightning  was  accom- 
panied by  loud  peals  of  thunder,  and  the  children  awoke 
and  cried  with  fright,  till  they  were  hushed  to  sleep 
again.  The  wind  howled  as  it  pressed  with  all  its 
violence  against  the  tents,  while  the  rain  poured  off  in 
torrents.  One  moment  the  canvas  of  the  tents  would 
bulge  in,  and  the  cords  which  held  it  strain  and  crack ; 
at  another,  an  eddy  of  wind  would  force  out  the  canvas 
which  would  flap  and  flap,  while  the  rain  found  many  an 
entrance.  The  night  was  intensely  dark,  and  the  fury 
of  the  elements  was  horrible.  As  we  stated  in  the  first 
part  of  our  narrative,  the  tent  in  which  Mrs  Seagrave 
and  the  children  reposed,  was  on  the  outside  of  the  others, 
and  therefore  the  most  exposed.  It  was  about  midnight 
that  the  wind  burst  on  them  with  greater  violence  than 
before.  A  loud  crash  was  heard  by  Ready  and  Mr 
Seagrave,  followed  by  the  shrieks  of  Mrs  Seagrave  and 
Juno :  the  pegs  of  the  tents  had  given  way,  and  the 
inmates  were  exposed  to  the  fury  of  the  elements.  Ready 
rushed  out,  followed  by  Mr  Seagrave  and  William.  So 
strong  was  the  wind  and  beating  rain,  and  such  was  the 
darkness,  that  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  by  their 
united  efforts  the  women  and  children  could  be  extricated. 
Master  Tommy  was  the  first  taken  up  by  Ready :  his 
courage  had  all  gone,  and  he  was  bellowing  most  furiously. 
William  took  Albert  in  charge  and  carried  him  into  the 
other  tent,  where  Tommy  sat  in  his  wet  shirt  roaring 
most   melodiously.      Juno,   Mrs  Seagrave,   and   the  little 

R  F 

NO 

V 


82  Masterman  Ready- 

girl  were  at  last  carried  away  and  taken  into  the  other 
tent :  fortunately  no  one  was  hurt,  although  the  frightened 
children  could  not  be  pacified,  and  joined  a  chorus  with 
Tommy ;  but  it  was  of  little  consequence,  for  the  wind 
was  so  loud  that  they  could  scarcely  hear  one  another 
speak.  Nothing  more  could  be  done  except  putting  the 
children  into  the  beds,  and  then  the  whole  party  sat  up 
the  remainder  of  the  night  listening  to  the  noise  of  the 
wind,  the  roaring  of  the  sea,  and  the  loud  patters  of  the 
rain  against  the  canvas ;  and  a  dreadful  and  weary  and 
melancholy  night  did  they  pass,  anxiously  waiting  for 
the  morning.  At  dawn  of  day,  Ready  went  out  of  the 
tent,  and  found  that  the  gale  had  spent  its  force,  and 
had  already  much  abated ;  but  it  was  not  one  of  those 
bright  glorious  mornings  to  which  they  had  been  ac- 
customed since  their  arrival  at  the  island :  the  sky  was 
stiil  dark,  and  the  clouds  were  chasing  each  other  wildly ; 
there  was  neither  sun  nor  blue  sky  to  be  seen :  it  still 
rained,  but  only  at  intervals,  and  the  earth  was  soft  and 
spongy ;  the  little  cove,  but  the  day  before  so  beautiful, 
was  now  a  mass  of  foaming  and  tumultuous  waves,  and 
the  surf  was  thrown  many  yards  upon  the  beach :  the 
horizon  was  confused — you  could  not  distinguish  the 
line  between  the  water  and  the  sky,  and  the  whole  shore 
of  the  island  was  lined  with  a  white  foam.  Ready  turned 
his  eyes  to  where  the  ship  had  been  fixed  on  the  rocks : 
it  was  no  longer  there — the  whole  frame  had  disappeared ; 
but  the  fragments  of  it,  and  the  contents  of  the  hold, 
were  floating  about  in  every  direction,  or  tossing  amongst 
the  surf  on  the  beach. 

"I  thought  as  much,"  said  Ready,  pointing  to  where 
the  ship  had  lain,  as  he  turned  round  and  found  that  Mr 
Seagrave  had  followed  him ;  "  look,  sir,  this  gale  has 
broken  her  up  entirely.  This  is  a  warning  to  us  not  to 
remain  here  any  longer :  we  must  make  the  most  of  the 
fine  weather  which  we  may  have  before  the  rainy  season 
sets  in — and  we  have  no  time  to  spare,  sir,  I  can  tell  you." 

"I   agree  with  you,  Ready,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,— 


Masterman  Ready  83 

"  and  there  is  another  proof  of  it,"  pointing  to  the  tent 
which  had  been  blown  down.  "It  was  a  good  mercy 
that  none  of  them  were  hurt." 

"Very  true,  sir;  but  the  gale  is  breaking,  and  we 
shall  have  fine  weather  to-morrow.  Let  us  now  see 
what  we  can  do  with  the  tent,  while  Master  William 
and  Juno  try  if  they  can  get  any  breakfast." 

They  set  to  work.  Ready  and  Mr  Seagrave  made  it 
fast  with  fresh  cords  and  pegs,  and  very  soon  had  it  all 
ready;  but  the  beds  and  bedding  were  wet  through. 
They  hauled  over  the  wet  canvas,  and  then  left  it  to  go 
to  their  breakfast,  to  which  Juno  had  summoned  them. 

"We  need  do  no  more  at  present,  sir,"  said  Ready, 
"  by  night  time  it  will  not  be  so  wet,  and  we  can  handle 
it  easier.  I  see  a  break  in  the  sky  now,  which  promises 
fine  weather  soon — the  gale  was  too  fierce  to  last  long. 
And  now,  sir,"  said  Ready,  "  we  had  better  work  hard 
to-day,  for  we  may  save  a  great  many  things,  which  may 
be  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks,  if  we  do  not  haul  them 
on  the  beach.  We  can  do  without  Juno ;  and  I  don't 
think  we  want  Master  Tommy,  who  must  stay  here  and 
take  care  of  his  mamma." 

Tommy  was,  however,  rather  sulky  after  the  events  of 
the  night ;  and  he  gave  no  answer. 


Chapter  XIX 

They  went  down  to  the  beach.  Ready  first  procured 
from  the  stores  a  good  stout  rope  ;  and  as  the  waves  threw 
up  casks  and  timbers  of  the  vessel,  they  stopped  them 
from  being  washed  back  again,  and  either  rolled  or  hauled 
them  up  with  the  rope  until  they  were  safe  landed.  This 
occupied  them  for  the  major  part  of  the  day  ;  and  yet  they 
had  not  collected  a  quarter  of  the  articles  that  were  in  their 
reach,  independent  of  the  quantity  which  floated  about  out 
at  sea  and  at  the  entrance  of  the  cove. 


84  Masterman  Ready 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  Ready,  "  I  think  we  have  done  a  good 
day's  work  ;  to-morrow  we  shall  be  able  to  do  much  more, 
for  the  sea  you  see  is  going  down  already,  and  the  sun  is 
showing  himself  from  the  corner  of  that  cloud.  Now  we 
will  go  to  supper,  and  then  see  if  we  can  make  ourselves 
more  comfortable  for  the  night." 

The  tent  which  had  not  been  blown  down  was  given  to 
Mrs  Seagrave  and  the  children,  and  the  other  was  fitted 
up  as  well  as  it  could  be.  The  bedding  being  all  wet, 
they  procured  some  sails  from  the  stores,  which,  being 
stowed  away  farther  in  the  grove,  had  not  suffered  much 
from  the  tempest ;  and,  spreading  the  canvas,  they  lay 
down,  and  the  night  passed  without  any  disaster,  for  the 
wind  was  now  lulled  to  a  pleasant  breeze. 

The  next  morning  the  sun  shone  bright — the  air  was 
fresh  and  bracing ;  but  a  slight  breeze  rippled  the  waters, 
and  there  was  little  or  no  surf.  The  various  fragments  of 
the  wreck  were  tossed  by  the  little  surf  that  still  remained  ; 
many  things  were  lying  on  the  beach  which  had  landed 
during  the  night,  and  many  more  required  but  a  little 
trouble  to  secure  them.  There  appeared  to  be  a  sort  of 
indraught  into  the  cove,  as  all  the  articles  which  had  been 
floating  out  at  sea  were  now  gradually  coming  on  shore  in 
that  direction.  Ready  and  Mr  Seagrave  worked  till 
breakfast  time,  and  had  by  that  time  saved  a  great  many 
casks  and  packages. 

After  breakfast  they  went  down  again  to  the  beach  and 
resumed  their  labours.  "Look,  Ready;  what  is  that?" 
said  William,  who  was  with  them,  as  he  pointed  to  a  white- 
looking  mass  floating  in  the  cove. 

"  That,  sir,  is  the  poor  cow  ;  and  if  you  look  again,  you 
will  see  the  sharks  are  around,  making  a  feast  of  her  :  don't 
you  see  them  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  do — what  a  quantity  ! " 

"  Yes,  there's  no  want  of  them,  Master  William ;  so  be 
very  careful  how  you  get  into  the  water,  and  never  let 
Master  Tommy  go  near  it,  for  they  don't  care  how  shallow 
it  is  when  they  see  their  food.     But  now,  sir,"  said  Ready, 


Masterman  Ready  85 

"  I  must  leave  you  and  Master  William  to  do  what  you  can 
in  saving  any  more  of  the  wreck,  while  I  set  to  and  put 
the  boat  in  proper  repair  ;  we  shall  want  her  directly,  and 
the  sooner  she  is  in  order  the  better." 

Ready  left  them  at  their  employment,  and  went  away 
for  his  tools  to  repair  the  boat.  During  this  time  Mr 
Seagrave  and  William  had  occupied  themselves  in  collect- 
ing the  different  articles  thrown  on  shore,  and  rolling  up 
the  casks  as  far  as  they  could.  As  for  the  timbers  and 
planks  of  the  vessel,  they  left  them  to  be  landed  whenever 
chance  might  direct ;  they  had  more  than  enough  for  any 
present  use,  or,  indeed,  for  any  use  which  it  appeared  they 
might  have  for  a  long  while. 

As  it  would  take  some  days  for  Ready  to  put  the  boat 
into  proper  order,  Mr  Seagrave  determined  that  he  would 
go  to  the  other  side  of  the  island  with  William,  that  he 
might  examine  it  himself;  and,  as  Mrs  Seagrave  had  no 
objection  to  be  left  with  Ready  and  Juno,  on  the  third  day 
after  the  gale  they  set  off.  William  led  the  way,  guiding 
his  footsteps  through  the  grove  by  the  blazing  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  trees  ;  and  in  two  hours  they  reached  their  destination. 

"  Is  not  this  beautiful,  father  ?  "  said  William. 

"  Yes,  indeed  it  is,  my  dear  boy,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave. 
"  I  fancied  that  nothing  could  be  more  beautiful  than  the 
spot  where  we  reside  on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  but 
this  surpasses  it,  not  only  in  variety,  but  in  extent." 

"  And  now  let  us  examine  the  spring,  father,"  said 
William,  leading  the  way  to  the  ravine. 

The  spring  was  full  and  flowing,  and  the  water  excellent. 
They  then  directed  their  steps  towards  the  sandy  beach, 
and,  having  walked  some  time,  sat  down  upon  a  coral 
rock. 

"  Who  would  have  ever  imagined,  William,"  said 
Mr  Seagrave,  "  that  this  island,  and  so  many  more  which 
abound  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  could  have  been  raised 
by  the  work  of  little  insects  not  bigger  than  a  pin's  head  ? " 

"  Insects,  father  !  "  replied  William. 

"  Yes,    insects.     Give    me   that  piece   of    dead   coral, 


86  Masterman  Ready 

William.  Do  you  see  that  on  every  branch  there  are 
a  hundred  little  holes  ?  Well,  in  every  one  of  these 
little  holes  once  lived  a  sea-insect ;  and  as  these  insects 
increase,  so  do  the  branches  of  the  coral  trees." 

"  Yes,  I  understand  that ;  but  how  do  you  make  out 
that  this  island  was  made  by  them  ?  that's  what  I  want  to 
know." 

"  Nevertheless  it  is  true,  William,  that  almost  all  the 
islands  in  these  seas  have  been  made  by  the  labour  and 
increase  of  these  small  animals.  The  coral  grows  at  first 
at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  where  it  is  not  disturbed  by  the 
winds  or  waves  :  by  degrees,  as  it  increases,  it  advances 
higher  and  higher  to  the  surface,  till  at  last  it  comes  near 
to  the  top  of  the  water  ;  then  it  is  like  those  reefs  which 
you  see  out  there,  William,  and  it  is  stopped  very  much 
in  its  growth  by  the  force  of  the  winds  and  waves, 
which  break  it  off,  and  of  course  it  never  grows  above 
the  water,  for  if  it  did  the  animals  would  die." 

"  Then  how  does  it  become  an  island  ?  " 

"  By  very  slow  degrees ;  the  time,  perhaps,  much 
depending  upon  chance :  for  instance,  a  log  of  wood 
floating  about,  and  covered  with  barnacles,  may  ground 
upon  the  coral  reefs ;  that  would  be  a  sufficient  com- 
mencement, for  it  would  remain  above  water,  and  then 
shelter  the  coral  to  leeward  of  it,  until  a  flat  rock  had 
formed,  level  with  the  edge  of  the  water.  The  sea-birds 
are  always  looking  for  a  place  to  rest  upon,  and  they 
would  soon  find  it,  and  then  their  droppings  would, 
in  course  of  time,  form  a  little  patch  above  water,  and 
other  floating  substances  would  be  thrown  on  it ;  and 
land-birds,  which  are  blown  out  to  sea,  might  rest  them- 
selves on  it,  and  the  seeds  from  their  stomachs,  when 
dropped,  would  grow  into  trees  or  bushes." 

"I  understand  that." 

"  Well  then,  William,  you  observe  there  is  an  island 
commenced  as  it  were,  and,  once  commenced,  it  soon 
increases,  for  the  coral  would  then  be  protected  to  lee- 
ward, and  grow  up  fast.     Do  you  observe  how  the  coral 


Masterman  Ready  &y 

reefs  extend  at  this  side  of  the  island,  where  they  are 
protected  from  the  winds  and  waves ;  and  how  different 
it  is  on  the  weather  side,  which  we  have  just  left  ?  Just 
so  the  little  patch  above  water  protects  the  corals  to 
leeward,  and  there  the  island  increases  fast ;  for  the  birds 
not  only  settle  on  it,  but  they  make  their  nests  and  rear 
their  young,  and  so  every  year  the  soil  increases  ;  and 
then,  perhaps,  one  cocoa-nut  in  its  great  outside  shell 
(which  appears  as  if  it  was  made  on  purpose  to  be  washed 
on  shore  in  this  way,  for  it  is  water-tight  and  hard,  and 
at  the  same  time  very  light,  so  that  it  floats,  and  will 
remain  for  months  in  the  water  without  being  injured)  at 
last  is  thrown  on  these  little  patches — it  takes  root,  and 
becomes  a  tree,  every  year  shedding  its  large  branches, 
which  are  turned  into  mould  as  soon  as  they  decay,  and 
then  dropping  its  nuts,  which  again  take  root  and  grow  in 
this  mould  -,  and  thus  they  continue,  season  after  season, 
and  year  after  year,  until  the  island  becomes  as  large  and 
as  thickly  covered  with  trees  as  the  one  we  are  now 
standing  upon.  Is  not  this  wonderful,  my  dear  boy  ?  Is 
not  he  a  great  and  good  God  who  can  make  such  minute 
animals  as  these  work  his  pleasure,  and  at  the  time  he 
thinks  fit  produce  such  a  beautiful  island  as  this  ? " 

"  Indeed,  indeed  he  is,"  exclaimed  William. 

"  We  only  need  use  our  eyes,  William,  and  we  shall 
love  as  well  as  adore.  Look  at  that  shell — is  it  not 
beautifully  marked  ? — could  the  best  painter  in  the  world 
equal  its  colouring  ? " 

"  No,  indeed, — I  should  think  not." 

M  And  yet  there  are  thousands  of  them  in  sight,  and 
perhaps  millions  more  in  the  water.  They  have  not  been 
coloured  in  this  way  to  be  admired,  like  the  works  of 
man  ;  for  this  island  has  been  till  now  probably  without 
any  one  upon  it,  and  no  one  has  ever  seen  them.  It  makes 
no  difference  to  him,  who  has  but  to  wish,  and  all  is 
complete." 

For  a  few  minutes  after  this  conversation,  Mr  Seagrave 
and  William  were  both  silent.      Mr  Seagrave  then  rose 


88  Masterman  Ready 

from  where  he  was  sitting  :  "  Come,  William,  let  us  now 
find  our  way  back  again ;  we  have  three  hours'  daylight 
left,  and  shall  be  home  in  good  time." 

"  Yes,  in  time  for  supper,  father,"  replied  William, 
"  and  I  feel  that  I  shall  do  justice  to  it  •,  so  the  sooner  we 
are  off  the  better." 


Chapter    XX 

Everything  was  now  preparing  for  their  removal  to  the 
leeward  side  of  the  island.  Ready  had  nearly  completed 
the  boat ;  he  had  given  it  a  thorough  repair,  and  fitted  a 
mast  and  sail.  William  and  Mr  Seagrave  continued  to 
collect  and  secure  the  various  articles  thrown  on  shore, 
particularly  such  as  would  be  injured  by  their  exposure  to 
the  weather :  these  they  rolled  or  carried  into  the  cocoa- 
nut  grove,  so  as  to  be  sheltered  from  the  sun ;  but  there 
were  so  many  things  thrown  on  shore  day  after  day,  that 
they  hardly  knew  what  they  had  :  but  they  secured  case 
and  cask  one  after  another,  waiting  for  a  better  oppor- 
tunity to  examine  their  contents.  At  last  they  collected  a 
great  many  articles  together,  and,  with  their  shovels, 
covered  them  over  with  sand,  it  being  impossible  to  get 
them  from  the  beach  without  more  time  than  they  could 
spare. 

Neither  was  Mrs  Seagrave,  who  was  now  getting  quite 
strong,  or  Juno,  idle.  They  had  made  up  everything  that 
they  could  in  packages,  ready  for  moving  to  the  other  side 
of  the  island.  On  the  eighth  day  after  the  gale  they  were 
ready,  and  a  consultation  was  held.  It  was  arranged  that 
Ready  should  put  into  the  boat  the  bedding  and  canvas  of 
one  tent,  and  should  take  William  with  him  on  his  expedi- 
tion. Having  transported  this  safe,  he  should  return  for  a 
load  of  the  most  necessary  articles,  and  then  the  family 
should  walk  through  the  grove  to  the  other  side  of  the 
island,  and  remain  there  with  Mr  Seagrave  while  Ready 


Masterman  Ready  89 

and  William  returned  for  the  other  tent ;  and  after  that, 
the  boat  should  make  as  many  trips  as  the  weather  would 
permit,  till  they  had  brought  all  the  things  absolutely 
required.  It  was  a  lovely  calm  morning  when  Ready  and 
William  pushed  off  in  the  boat,  which  was  well  loaded ; 
and  as  soon  as  they  were  clear  of  the  cove  they  hoisted 
the  sail,  and  went  away  before  the  wind  along  the  coast. 
In  two  hours  they  had  run  to  the  eastern  end  of  the  island, 
and  hauled  up  close  in  shore :  the  point  which  ran  out,  and 
at  the  end  of  which  there  was  an  inlet,  was  not  a  mile 
from  them,  and  in  a  very  short  time  they  had  lowered  the 
sail,  and  were  pulling  in  for  the  sandy  beach. 

"  You  see,  Master  William,  it  is  fortunate  for  us  that 
we  shall  always  have  a  fair  wind  when  we  come  down 
loaded,  and  only  have  to  pull  our  empty  boat  back  again." 

"Indeed  it  is.  How  many  miles  do  you  think  it  is  from 
the  cove  to  this  part  of  the  island  i  " 

"  About  six  or  seven,  not  more :  the  island,  you  see,  is 
long  and  narrow.  Now  let  us  get  the  things  out  and 
carry  them  up,  and  then  we  will  be  back  to  the  cove  long 
before  dark.  I  shall  be  glad  to  be  back,  for  your  mamma 
was  not  very  easy  in  her  mind  at  your  going  to  sea  again, 
Master  William — I  saw  that." 

The  boat  was  soon  unloaded,  but  they  had  some  way  to 
carry  up  the  things.  "  We  shall  not  mind  such  a  gale  as 
we  had  the  other  day  when  our  tents  are  pitched  here, 
William,"  said  Ready,  "  for  we  shall  be  protected  by  the 
whole  width  of  the  cocoa-nut  grove.  We  shall  hardly 
feel  the  wind,  although  we  shall  the  rain,  for  that  will 
come  down  in  torrents." 

"  I  must  go  and  see  how  our  spring  gets  on,"  said 
William,  "and  get  a  drink  from  it." 

"  Do  so ;  and  then  you  can  follow  me  down  to  the 
boat." 

Willy  reported  the  spring  to  be  up  to  the  brim  with 
water,  and  that  he  had  never  drunk  any  water  so  excellent 
in  his  life.  They  then  pushed  off  the  boat,  and,  after 
rowing  for  about  two  hours  or  more,  found  themselves  at 


90  Masterman  Ready 

the  entrance  of  the  cove,  and  Mrs  Seagrave,  with  Tommy 
by  her  side,  waving  her  handkerchief  to  them. 

They  very  soon  pulled  into  the  beach,  and  landing, 
received  the  congratulations  of  the  whole  party  at  their 
first  successful  voyage,  and  all  expressed  their  delight  at 
its  having  proved  so  much  shorter  than  had  been  anti- 
cipated. 

"Tommy  will  go  next  time,"  said  Master  Tommy. 

"By-and-bye,  when  Tommy  grows  a  little  taller," 
replied  Ready. 

"  Massa  Tommy,  you  come  help  me  to  milk  the  goats," 
said  Juno. 

"  Yes,  Tommy  milk  the  goats,"  said  the  little  urchin, 
running  after  Juno. 

"  You  must  be  almost  tired  of  eating  nothing  but  salt 
meat  and  biscuit,  ma'am,"  said  Ready,  as  they  sat  down  to 
their  meal  ;  "  but  when  we  are  all  safe  on  the  other  side 
of  the  island  we  hope  to  feed  you  better.  At  present  it  is 
hard  work  and  hard  fare." 

"  As  long  as  the  children  are  well,  I  care  very  little 
about  it ;  but  I  must  say  that,  after  the  last  gale,  I  am  as 
anxious  as  you  to  be  on  the  other  side  of  the  island, 
especially  after  the  account  William  has  given  me  of  it. 
It  must  be  a  paradise  !     When  do  we  set  off  ?  " 

"Not  till  the  day  after  to-morrow,  ma'am,  I  should 
think ;  for  you  see  I  must  have  another  trip  for  the 
cooking  utensils  and  the  bundles  which  you  have  made 
up.  If  you  will  spare  Juno  to  walk  through  the  wood 
with  Master  William  to-morrow,  we  will  then  have  the 
tent  ready  for  you  and  the  children.  Mr  Seagrave  will 
remain  with  you,  ma'am." 

"  Certainly,  Ready :  and  had  they  not  better  lead  over 
the  sheep  and  goats  ?     It  will  be  doing  something." 

"  I  thank  you  for  thinking  of  it,  ma'am  ;  it  will  be  so 
much  time  saved." 


Masterman  Ready  91 


Chapter  XXI 

Old  Ready  had  his  boat  loaded  and  had  made  saiJ  for 
the  other  side  of  the  island  long  before  the  family 
were  up ;  indeed  before  they  were  dressed  he  had 
landed  his  whole  cargo  on  the  beach,  and  was  sitting 
down  quietly  taking  his  breakfast.  As  soon  as  he  had 
eaten  the  beef  and  biscuit  which  he  had  taken  with 
him,  he  carried  up  the  things  which  he  had  brought, 
and  commenced  arrangements  for  setting  up  the  tent, 
intending  to  await  the  arrival  of  William  and  Juno, 
that  they  might  assist  him  in  getting  up  the  spars  and 
canvas  over  it. 

About  ten  o'clock  "William  made  his  appearance,  leading 
one  of  the  goats  by  a  string,  followed  by  the  others. 
Juno  came  after  with  the  sheep,  also  holding  one  with  a 
cord  ;  the  rest  had  very  quietly  joined  the  procession. 
"  Here  we  are  at  last  !  "  said  William,  laughing  ;  "  we 
have  had  terrible  work  in  the  woods,  for  Nanny  would 
run  on  one  side  of  a  tree  when  I  went  on  the  other, 
and  then  I  had  to  let  go  the  string.  We  fell  in  with  the 
pigs  again,  and  Juno  gave  such  a  squall  !  " 

"  I  tink  'em  wild  beast,"  said  Juno.  "  Ah  !  what  a  nice 
place  !     Missis  will  like  to  live  here." 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  very  nice  place,  Juno ;  and  you'll  be 
able  to  wash  here,  and  never  mind  about  saving  the 
water." 

"  I  am  thinking,"  said  William,  "  how  we  are  to  get  the 
fowls  over  here  ;  they  are  not  very  wild,  but  still  we 
cannot  catch  them." 

"  I'll  bring  them  with  me  to-morrow,  Master  William." 

"  But  how  will  you  catch  them  ?  " 

"  Wait  till  they  are  gone  to  roost,  and  then  you  may 
catch  them  when  you  please." 

"  And  I  suppose  the  pigeons  and  the  pigs  must  run 
wild  ? " 


92  Masterman  Ready 

"  The  best  thing  we  can  do  with  them,  sir  j  the  pigs 
will  always  feed  themselves  among  the  cocoa-nut  trees, 
and  will  breed  very  fast." 

"  Then  we  shall  have  to  shoot  them,  I  suppose  ? " 

"  Well,  Master  William,  so  we  shall ;  and  the  pigeons 
also,  when  they  have  become  plentiful,  if  we  remain  here 
so  long  ;  so  we  shall  have  some  game  on  the  island.  We 
shall  soon  be  well  stocked  and  live  in  plenty.  Every  year, 
if  it  please  God,  we  shall  be  richer  ;  but  now  you  must 
help  me  to  get  the  tent  up  and  everything  in  order,  so 
that  your  mamma  may  find  everything  comfortable  on 
her  arrival,  for  she  will  be  very  tired,  I  daresay,  walking 
through  the  wood.     It  is  a  long  way  for  her." 

"  Mamma  is  much  better  than  she  was,"  replied  William. 
"  I  think  she  will  soon  be  quite  strong  again,  especially 
when  she  comes  to  live  at  this  beautiful  place." 

"We  have  a  great  deal  of  work  to  do,  more  than  we 
can  get  through  before  the  rainy  season,  which  is  a  pity, 
but  it  can't  be  helped  ;  by  this  time  next  year  we  shall 
be  more  comfortable." 

"  Why,  what  have  we  to  do  besides  putting  up  the  tents 
and  shifting  over  here  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place  we  have  to  build  a  house,  and  that 
will  take  a  long  while  ;  we  must  contrive  how  we  can 
till  it's  finished.  Then  we  ought  to  make  a  little  garden, 
and  sow  the  seeds  which  your  father  brought  from  England 
with  him." 

"  Oh  !  that  will  be  a  nice  thing  ;  where  shall  we  make 
it,  Ready?" 

"  I  have  looked  out  for  that :  we  must  put  a  fence 
across  that  point  of  land,  and  dig  up  all  the  brushwood  ; 
the  mould  is  very  good." 

"  Then  what  next  ?  " 

"Then  we  shall  want  a  storehouse  for  all  the  things  we 
have  got,  and  all  that  are  in  the  wood  and  on  the  beach : 
we  must  leave  them  there  till  we  have  time  to  examine 
them,  and  then  consider  what  a  many  trips  we  shall  have 
to  make  with  the  little  boat  to  bring  them  all  round." 


Masterman  Ready  93 

"  Yes,  that  is  very  true,  Ready.  Have  we  anything 
more  to  do  ?  " 

"Plenty;  we  have  to  build  a  turtle  pond  and  a  fish 
pond,  and  a  bathing  place  for  Juno  to  wash  the  children  in." 

"  Yes,  and  myself  too,"  said  Juno. 

"  Well,  I  dare  say  a  little  washing  won't  hurt  you, 
Juno,  although  you  are  a  clean  girl.  But  first,  Master 
William,  we  must  make  a  proper  well  at  the  spring,  so  as 
to  have  plenty  of  fresh  water  :  now  there's  enough  for  a 
year's  hard  work  at  least,  and  as  we  go  on  we  shall  find 
more  wants,  I  have  no  doubt." 

"  Well,  let  us  once  get  mamma  and  the  children  here, 
and  we  will  work  hard." 

"  I  should  wish  very  much  to  see  it  all  done,  Master 
William,"  said  Ready.  "  I  hope  my  life  will  be  spared 
till  it  is  done,  at  all  events.  I  should  like  to  leave  you  all 
comfortable,  and  able  to  get  on  without  me." 

"  But  why  do  you  say  that,  Ready  ?  you  are  an  old 
man,  but  you  are  strong  and  healthy." 

"  I  am  so  now ;  but,  Master  William,  what  does  the 
Book  say  ? — *  In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death.'  You 
are  young  and  healthy,  and  promise  a  long  life  ;  but  who 
knows  but  that  you  may  be  summoned  away  to-morrow, 
and  your  father  and  mother  weeping  over  your  body  ? 
Can  I,  then,  an  old  man,  worn  out  with  hardships,  expect 
to  live  long  ?  No — no,  Master  William  ;  it  is  folly  in  the 
young,  but  in  an  old  man  it  is  madness  and  wickedness. 
Still  I  should  like  to  remain  here  as  long  as  I  can  be  useful, 
and  then  I  trust  I  may  depart  in  peace.  I  never  wish  to 
leave  this  island,  Master  William  ;  and  I  have  a  kind 
of  feeling  that  my  bones  will  remain  on  it.  God's  will 
be  done !  " 

For  some  time  after  Ready  had  finished,  neither  of  them 
said  a  word,  but  continued  their  employment,  stretching 
out  the  canvas  of  the  tent,  and  fastening  it  down  to  the 
ground  with  pegs.     At  last  William  broke  the  silence. 

"  Ready,  did  you  not  say  your  Christian  name  was 
Masterman  ? " 


94  Masterman  Ready 

"  So  it  is,  Master  William." 

"It  is  a  very  odd  Christian  name  !  You  were  called 
after  some  other  person  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  was,  Master  William  ;  he  was  a  very  rich  man." 

"Do  you  know,  Ready,  I  should  like  very  much  if  you 
will  x>ne  day  tell  me  your  history — I  mean  your  whole  life, 
from  the  time  you  were  a  boy." 

"  Well,  perhaps  I  may,  Master  William ,  for  there  are 
many  parts  of  my  life  which  would  prove  a  lesson  to 
others  :  but  that  must  be  after  we  have  got  through  our 
work — not  yet  awhile." 

"  How  old  are  you,  Ready  ?  " 

"I  am  turned  of  sixty-four,  Master  William  ;  that  is  a 
very  old  age  for  a  seaman.  I  could  not  have  obtained 
employment  on  board  of  a  vessel  if  it  were  not  that  I  am 
well  known  to  several  captains." 

"  But  why  do  you  say  '  old  for  a  seaman  ? '  " 

"  Because  sailors  live  faster  than  other  people,  partly 
from  the  hardships  which  they  undergo,  and  partly  from 
their  own  fault  in  drinking  so  much  spirits  •,  and  then  they 
are  too  often  reckless  and  care  nothing  for  their  healths, 
and  so  their  constitutions  are  broken  up  and  destroyed 
sooner  than  those  of  people  on  shore." 

"  But  you  never  drink  spirits  now  ?  " 

"No,  never,  Master  William,  but  in  my  early  days  I 
was  as  foolish  as  others.  Now,  Juno,  we  are  all  ready 
for  you,  and  you  may  bring  in  the  bedding.  We  have 
two  or  three  hours  yet,  Master  William ;  what  shall  we 
do  next  ? " 

"  Had  we  not  better  make  the  fire-place  all  ready  for 
cooking  ?  Juno  and  I  can  bring  the  stones." 

"  You  are  a  thoughtful  boy — it  was  what  I  was  going 
to  propose,  if  you  had  not.  I  shall  be  here  to-morrow 
long  before  any  of  you,  and  I  will  take  care  that  you  have 
supper  ready  upon  your  arrivaL" 

"  I  brought  a  bottle  of  water  in  my  knapsack,"  replied 
William,  "  not  so  much  for  the  water,  as  because  I  want 
to  milk  the  goats  and  take  back  the  milk  for  babyc" 


Masterman  Ready  95 

"Then  you  proved  yourself  not  only  thoughtful  but  kind, 
Master  William  :  now  while  you  and  Juno  fetch  the  stones, 
I  will  stow  away  under  the  trees  all  the  things  which  I 
have  brought  down  in  the  boat." 

"  Shall  we  let  the  goats  and  sheep  loose,  Ready  ? " 

"  Oh,  yes — there  is  no  fear  of  their  straying  ;  the 
herbage  here  is  better  than  on  the  other  side,  and  there 
is  plenty  of  it.  They  will  remain  here,  you  may  depend 
upon  it." 

"  Well,  I  will  let  Nanny  go  as  soon  as  Juno  has  milked 
her ;  but  that  will  be  the  last  thing  to  do  before  we  go 
back.  Now,  Juno,  let  us  see  how  many  stones  we  can 
carry  at  once." 

In  an  hour  the  fire-place  was  made,  Ready  had  done  all 
that  he  could,  the  goats  were  milked  and  let  loose,  and 
then  William  and  Juno  set  ofT  through  the  wood  on  their 
journey  back. 

Ready  went  down  to  the  beach.  On  his  arrival  there, 
he  observed  a  small  turtle :  creeping  up  softly  he  got 
between  it  and  the  water,  and  succeeded  in  turning  it 
over.  "That  will  do  for  to-morrow,"  said  he,  as  he 
stepped  into  the  boat;  and,  laying  hold  of  the  oars,  he 
pulled  out  of  the  bay  to  return  to  the  cove. 


Chapter  XXII 

Ready  arrived  at  the  cove,  and,  having  hauled  up  the 
boat,  proceeded  to  the  tents,  where  he  found  the  whole 
party  anxiously  listening  to  William,  who  was  detailing 
what  had  been  done.  The  arrangements  for  the  next  day 
were  made  as  soon  as  Ready  joined  them.  They  then 
separated  for  the  night,  but  Ready  and  William  remained 
until  it  was  dark,  to  catch  the  fowls  and  tie  their  legs, 
ready  for  their  being  put  in  the  boat  the  next  morning. 
At  daylight  they  all  were  summoned  to  dress  themselves 
as  soon  as  possible,  as  Ready  wanted  to  take  down  the 


g6  Masterman  Ready 

tent  in  which  Mrs  Seagrave  and  the  children  had  slept ; 
for,  with  the  exception  of  Tommy,  who  had  been  admitted 
into  the  women's  tent,  as  they  termed  it,  the  others  had 
slept  upon  some  canvas,  which  they  had  spread  out  under 
the  cocoa-nut  trees.  All  was  bustle  and  confusion ;  and 
as  soon  as  Mrs  Seagrave  was  dressed,  the  tent  was  taken 
down,  and,  with  all  the  bedding,  put  into  the  boat.  As 
soon  as  they  had  breakfasted,  the  plates,  knives  and  forks, 
and  some  other  necessaries,  were  also  put  in ;  Ready  laid 
the  fowls  on  the  top  of  all,  and  set  off  by  himself  for  their 
new  location. 

After  he  was  gone,  the  rest  of  the  party  prepared  for 
their  journey  through  the  cocoa-nut  grove.  William  led 
the  way,  with  the  three  dogs  close  to  his  heels,  Mr  Sea- 
grave with  the  baby  in  his  arms,  Juno  with  little  Caroline, 
and  Mrs  Seagrave  with  Master  Tommy  holding  her  hand, 
and,  as  he  said,  taking  care  of  his  mamma.  They  bade 
adieu  with  regret  to  the  spot  which  had  first  received 
them  after  their  dangers ;  looked  round  once  more  at  the 
cove,  and  the  fragments  of  the  wreck  and  cargo,  strewed 
about  in  every  direction ;  and  then  turned  into  the  wood. 
Ready  arrived  at  the  point,  and  was  again  on  shore  in  less 
than  two  hours  after  he  had  set  off.  As  soon  as  the  boat 
was  safe  in,  he  did  not  wait  to  land  his  cargo,  but  going 
up  to  the  turtle  which  he  had  turned  the  day  before,  he 
killed  it,  and  cleaned  it  on  the  beach.  He  then  went  to 
where  they  had  built  up  the  fire-place  with  stones,  made  a 
fire,  filled  the  iron  saucepan  full  of  water,  and  set  it  on  to 
boil ;  he  then  cut  up  a  portion  of  the  turtle,  and  put  it 
into  the  pot,  with  some  slices  of  salt  pork,  covered  it  up, 
and  left  it  to  boil ;  and  having  hung  up  the  rest  of  the 
turtle  in  the  shade,  he  went  back  to  the  beach  to  unload 
the  boat.  He  released  the  poor  fowls,  who  were  very 
stiff  from  being  so  long  tied  by  the  legs,  but  by  degrees 
they  recovered  themselves,  and  were  very  busy  seeking  for 
food. 

Ready  took  up  all  the  plates,  and  knives  and  forks, 
and  small   articles,  examined  the  saucepan,  made  up  the 


Masterman  Ready  97 

fire  again,  and  then  returned  for  the  bedding  and  canvas 
of  the  tents,  with  the  spars  which  he  had  towed  astern. 
It  was  two  or  three  hours  before  he  had  carried  every- 
thing up,  for  it  was  a  good  distance,  and  some  of  the 
articles  were  heavy,  and  the  old  man  was  not  sorry  when 
he  had  finished  his  task,  and  could  sit  down  to  rest 
himself. 

"  It's  almost  time  that  they  should  have  arrived," 
thought  Ready  ;  "  they  must  have  started  nearly  four 
hours  ago ;  maybe  not  so  soon — it's  no  easy  matter  to 
get  a  convoy  of  women  and  children  under  weigh." 
Ready  remained  a  quarter  of  an  hour  more,  watching  the 
fire,  and  occasionally  skimming  the  top  of  the  pot,  when 
the  three  dogs  came  bounding  towards  him. 

"  Well,  they  are  not  far  off  now,"  observed  old  Ready. 

This  was  true  :  in  six  or  seven  minutes  afterwards  the 
party  made  their  appearance,  very  hot  and  very  fatigued. 
It  appeared  that  poor  little  Caroline  had  been  tired  out, 
and  Juno  had  to  carry  her  ;  then  Mrs  Seagrave  complained 
of  fatigue,  and  they  had  to  rest  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ; 
then  Master  Tommy,  who  refused  to  remain  with  his 
mamma,  and  had  been  running  backwards  and  forwards 
from  one  to  the  other,  had  declared  that  he  was  tired, 
and  that  some  one  must  carry  him,  but  there  was  no  one 
to  carry  him,  so  he  began  to  cry  and  roar  until  they 
stopped  for  another  quarter  of  an  hour  till  he  was  rested  ; 
but  as  soon  as  they  went  on  again,  he  again  complained 
of  being  tired,  and  William  had  very  good-naturedly 
carried  him  pickaback  for  some  time,  and  in  so  doing  he 
had  missed  the  blaze  cut  on  the  trees,  and  it  was  a  long 
while  before  he  could  find  it  again ;  then  baby  became 
hungry,  and  he  cried,  and  little  Caroline  was  frightened 
at  being  so  long  in  the  wood,  and  she  cried ;  and  Tommy, 
because  William  could  carry  him  no  longer,  cried  louder 
than  all  the  rest ;  so  they  stopped  again,  and  all  had  a 
drink  out  of  the  bottle  of  water,  which  William  had 
brought  with  them,  after  which  they  got  on  better,  and 
arrived  at  last  so  very  warm  and   exhausted,  that   Mrs 

R  G 


98  Masterman  Ready 

Seagrave  went  into  the  tent  with  the  children  to  repose 
a  little,  before  she  could  even  look  at  the  place  which 
was  to  be  their  future  residence. 

"I  think,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  who  had  given  the 
baby  to  Juno,  "  that  this  little  journey  of  to-day  has 
been  a  pretty  good  proof  of  how  helpless  we  should 
have  been  without  you,  Ready." 

"I  am  glad  that  you  are  here,  sir,"  replied  Ready, 
"  it  is  a  weight  off  my  mind ;  now  you  will  get  on  better. 
I  think  that  after  a  while  you  may  live  very  comfortably 
here ;  but  still  we  have  much  to  do.  As  soon  as  madam 
has  rested,  we  will  have  our  dinner  and  then  fix  up  our 
own  tent,  which  will  be  quite  enough  after  such  a  hard 
day's  work.  To-morrow  we  will  begin  in  good 
earnest." 

"  Do  you  go  back  to  the  cove  to-morrow,  Ready  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir,  we  want  our  stores  here;  I  must  bring 
some  beef  and  pork,  flour  and  peas,  besides  many  other 
things  which  we  cannot  do  without ;  it  will  take  about 
three  trips  to  empty  our  store-houses  ;  and  as  to  the 
other  things,  we  can  examine  them  and  bring  them  down 
at  our  leisure — they  will  remain  there  a  long  time  without 
taking  any  harm.  As  soon  as  I  have  made  those  three 
trips  in  the  boat,  we  can  then  work  here  altogether." 

"  But  I  can  do  something  in  the  meantime." 

"  Oh,  yes,  there  is  plenty  for  you  to  do." 

"  Shall  you  take  William  with  you  ?  " 

"No,  sir;  he  will  be  more  useful  here,  and  I  can  do 
without  him." 

Mr  Seagrave  went  into  the  tent  and  found  his  wife 
much  refreshed ;  but  the  children  had  all  fallen  fast  asleep 
on  the  beds.  They  waited  another  half-hour,  and  then 
woke  Tommy  and  Caroline,  that  they  might  all  sit  down 
to  dinner. 

"  Dear  me,"  exclaimed  William,  as  Ready  took  the 
cover  of?  the  saucepan,  "  what  is  it  that  you  have  so  good 
there  ? " 

"It's    a   treat   I   have   prepared   for  you   all,"  replied 


Masterman  Ready  99 

Ready.  "  I  know  that  you  are  tired  of  salt  meat,  so  now 
you  are  going  to  feed  like  aldermen." 

"  Why,  what  is  it,  Ready  ?  "  said  Mrs  Seagrave  ;  "  it 
smells  very  good." 

"  It  is  turtle  soup,  ma'am ;  and  I  hope  you  will  like  it ; 
for,  if  you  do,  you  may  often  have  it,  now  that  you  are 
on  this  side  of  the  island." 

"  Indeed,  it  really  is  excellent  ;  but  it  wants  a  little 
salt.     Have  you  any  salt,  Juno  ?  " 

"  Got  a  little,  ma'am.     Very  little  left,"  replied  Juno. 

"  What  shall  we  do,  when  all  our  salt  is  gone  ?  "  said 
Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  Juno  must  get  some  more,"  replied  Ready. 

"  How  I  get  salt  ? — hab  none  left,"  replied  Juno,  looking 
at  Ready. 

"  There's  plenty  out  there,  Juno,"  said  Mr  Seagrave. 
pointing  to  the  sea. 

"I  don't  know  where,"  said  Juno,  looking  in  that  direc- 
tion. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  my  dear  ?  "  inquired  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  I  only  mean  if  we  want  salt  we  can  have  as  much  as 
we  please  by  boiling  down  salt  water  in  the  kettle,  or 
else  making  a  salt  pan  in  the  rocks,  and  obtaining  it  by  the 
sun  drying  up  the  water  and  leaving  the  salt ;  Ready 
knows  that  as  well  as  I  do.  Salt  is  always  procured  in 
that  way,  either  by  evaporation,  or  boiling,  which  is  the 
same  thing,  only  done  quicker." 

"I'll  soon  arrange  that  for  you,  ma'am,"  said  Ready, 
"  and  show  Juno  how  to  get  it  when  she  wants  it." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  you  say  so  j  for  I  should  feel 
the  want  of  salt  very  much,"  replied  Mrs  Seagrave,  "  I 
really  never  enjoyed  a  dinner  so  much  as  I  have  to-day." 

The  soup  was  pronounced  excellent  by  everybody. 
Tommy  asked  to  be  helped  so  often  that  his  mother  would 
not  give  him  any  more.  As  soon  as  they  had  finished, 
Mrs  Seagrave  remained  with  the  children  5  and  Ready  and 
Mr  Seagrave,  assisted  by  Juno  and  William,  got  the  second 
tent  up,  and  everything  ready  for  the  night.     By  the  time 


ioo  Masterman  Ready 

they  had  finished  it  was  nearly  dark.  They  all  assembled, 
and  returned  thanks  to  God  for  their  having  gained  their 
new  abode ;  and,  tired  out  with  the  fatigue  of  the  day, 
were  soon  fast  asleep. 


Chapter  XXIII 

Mr  Seagrave  was  the  first  up  on  the  ensuing  morning  ; 
and  when  Ready  came  out  of  the  tent,  he  said  to  him, 
"  Do  you  know,  Ready,  I  feel  myself  much  happier  and 
my  mind  much  more  at  ease  since  I  find  myself  here,  than 
I  did  before.  On  the  other  side  of  the  island  everything 
reminded  me  that  we  had  been  shipwrecked  ;  and  I  could 
not  help  thinking  of  home  and  my  own  country ;  but  here 
we  appear  as  if  we  had  been  long  settled,  and  as  if  we  had 
come  here  by  choice." 

"  I  trust  that  feeling  will  be  stronger  every  day,  sir ; 
for  it's  no  use,  and  indeed  sinful,  to  repine  ;  we  have  much 
to  be  thankful  for." 

"I  acknowledge  it,  my  good  man,  and  with  all  humility. 
What  is  the  first  thing  which  you  wish  we  should  set 
about  ?  " 

"  I  think,  sir,  the  first  object  is  to  have  a  good  supply 
of  fresh  water  ;  and  I  therefore  wish  you  and  Master 
William — (here  he  is.  Good-morning,  Master  William) — 
I  was  saying  that  I  thought  it  better  that  Mr  Seagrave  and 
you  should  clear  out  the  spring  while  I  am  away  in  the 
boat.  I  brought  another  shovel  with  me  yesterday,  and 
you  both  can  work ;  perhaps  we  had  better  go  there,  as 
Juno  I  see  is  getting  the  breakfast  ready.  You  observe, 
Mr  Seagrave,  we  must  follow  up  the  spring  till  we  get 
among  the  cocoa-nut  trees,  where  it  will  be  shaded  from 
the  sun ;  that  is  easily  done  by  digging  towards  them, 
and  watching  how  the  water  flows.  Then,  if  you  will 
dig  out  a  hole  large  enough  to  sink  down  in  the  earth  one 
of  the  water  casks  which  lie  on  the  beach,  I  will  bring  it 


Masterman  Ready  101 

down  with  me  this  afternoon  ;  and  then,  when  it  is  fixed 
in  the  earth  in  that  way,  we  shall  always  have  the  cask  full 
of  water  for  use,  and  the  spring  filling  it  as  fast  as  we  can 
empty  it." 

"  I  understand  you  perfectly,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave ; 
"  that  shall  be  our  task  to-day  while  you  are  absent." 

"  Well,  then,  I  have  nothing  more  to  do  than  to  speak 
to  Juno  about  dinner,"  replied  Ready;  "and  then  I'll 
just  take  a  mouthful,  and  be  off; — this  fine  weather  must 
not  be  lost." 

Ready  directed  Juno  to  fry  some  pork  in  the  frying-pan, 
and  then  to  cut  off  some  slices  from  the  turtle,  and  cook 
turtle  steaks  for  dinner,  as  well  as  to  warm  up  the  soup 
which  was  left ;  and  then,  with  a  biscuit  and  a  piece  of 
beef  in  his  hand,  he  went  down  to  the  boat  and  set  off  for 
the  cove.  Mr  Seagrave  and  William  worked  hard  j  and, 
by  twelve  o'clock,  the  hole  was  quite  large  and  deep 
enough,  according  to  the  directions  Ready  had  given. 
They  then  left  their  work,  and  went  to  the  tent,  where 
they  found  Mrs  Seagrave  mending  the  children's  clothes. 

"  You  don't  know  how  much  happier  I  am  now  that  I 
am  here,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  taking  her  husband's  hand, 
as  he  seated  himself  by  her. 

"  I  trust  it  is  a  presentiment  of  future  happiness,  my 
dear,"  said  Mr  Seagrave.  "  I  assure  you  that  I  feel  the 
same,  and  was  saying  so  to  Ready  this  morning." 

"  I  feel  that  I  could  live  here  for  ever,  it  is  so  calm  and 
beautiful ;  but  do  you  know  I  miss  one  thing — there  are 
no  birds  singing  here  as  in  our  own  country." 

"  I  have  seen  no  birds  except  sea-birds,  and  of  them 
there  is  plenty.     Have  you,  William  ? " 

"  Only  once,  father.  I  saw  a  flight  a  long  way  off. 
Ready  was  not  with  me,  and  I  could  not  tell  what  they 
were  ;  but  they  were  large  birds,  as  big  as  pigeons  I 
should  think.  There  is  Ready  coming  round  the  point," 
continued  William.  "  How  fast  that  little  boat  sails  !  It 
is  a  long  pull  though  for  the  old  man  when  he  goes  to  the 
cove.     Juno,  is  dinner  ready  ?  " 


102  Masterman  Ready 

"  Yes,  Massa  William,  very  soon  now." 

"  Let  us  go  down  and  help  Ready  carry  up  some  of  the 
things  before  dinner,"  said  Mr  Seagrave. 

They  did  so  ;  and  William  rolled  up  the  empty  water- 
cask  which  Ready  had  brought  with  him. 

The  turtle  steaks  were  as  much  approved  of  as  the 
turtle  soup  ;  indeed,  after  having  been  so  long  on  salt 
meat,  a  return  to  fresh  provisions  was  delightful. 

"  And  now  to  finish  our  well,"  said  William,  as  soon  as 
dinner  was  over. 

4 'How  hard  you  do  work,  William,"  said  his  mother. 

"  So  I  ought,  mother.  I  must  learn  to  do  everything 
now." 

"  And  that  you  will  very  soon,"  said  Ready. 

They  rolled  the  cask  to  the  spring,  and,  to  their  astonish- 
ment, found  the  great  hole  which  they  had  dug  not  two 
hours  before  quite  full  of  water. 

"  O  dear,"  said  William,  "  we  shall  have  to  throw  all 
the  water  out  to  get  the  cask  down." 

"  Think  a  little,  William,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  "  for  the 
spring  runs  so  fast  that  it  will  not  be  an  easy  task. 
Cannot  we  do  something  else  ?  " 

"  Why,  father,  the  cask  will  float,  you  know,"  replied 
William. 

"  To  be  sure  it  will  as  it  is  ;  but  is  there  no  way  of 
making  it  sink  ? " 

"  O  yes.  I  know- — we  must  bore  some  holes  in  the 
bottom,  and  then  it  will  fill  and  sink  down  of  itself." 

"  Exactly,  sir,"  replied  Ready.  "  I  expected  that  we 
should   have  to  do  that,  and   have    the   big  gimlet  with 


me. 


Ready  bored  three  or  four  holes  in  the  bottom  of  the 
cask,  and  as  it  floated  the  water  ran  into  it,  and  by  degrees 
it  gradually  sunk  down.  As  soon  as  the  top  of  the  cask 
was  level  with  the  surface,  they  filled  in  all  round  with  the 
spade  and  shovel,  and  the  well  was  completed. 

"  To-morrow,  when  the  water  is  settled,  it  will  be  as 
pure  and  clear  as  crystal,  and  remain  so,  if  not  disturbed," 


Masterman  Ready  103 

observed  Ready  ;  "  so  we  have  done  one  good  job  to-day. 
Now,  let  us  bring  up  all  the  other  things  out  of  the 
boat." 


Chapter  XXIV 

The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  breakfast  was  over,  Mr 
Seagrave  observed — 

"  Now  that  we  have  so  many  things  to  do,  I  think, 
Ready,  we  ought  to  lay  down  a  plan  of  operations ; 
method  is  everything  when  work  is  to  be  done  :  now  tell 
me  what  you  propose  shall  be  our  several  occupations  for 
the  next  week,  for  to-morrow  is  Sunday  ;  and  although 
we  have  not  yet  been  able,  since  we  have  been  cast  on 
shore,  to  honour  the  day  as  we  should,  I  think  that  now 
we  must  and  ought  to  keep  it  holy." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Ready  ;  "  and  I  would  have  proposed 
it  if  you  had  not.  To-morrow  we  will  rest  from  our 
labour,  and  ask  God's  blessing  upon  our  endeavours 
during  the  six  days  of  the  week  j  and  now,  as  to  your 
proposition,  Mr  Seagrave, — shall  we  begin  first  with 
the  lady  ? " 

"  You  must  not  consider  that  you  have  ladies  with  you 
now,  Ready,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  "  at  least,  not  fine 
ladies.  My  health  and  strength  are  recovering  fast,  and 
I  mean  to  be  very  useful.  I  propose  to  assist  Juno  in 
all  the  domestic  duties,  such  as  the  cookery  and  washing, 
to  look  after  and  teach  the  children,  mend  all  the  clothes, 
and  make  all  that  is  required,  to  the  best  of  my  ability : 
if  I  can  do  more  I  will,  and,  at  all  events,  you  shall  often 
have  Juno's  services  during  the  best  part,  if  not  the  whole 
of  the  day." 

"  I  think  we  may  be  satisfied  with  that,  Mr  Seagrave," 
replied  Ready.  "  Now,  sir,  the  two  most  pressing  points, 
with  the  exception  of  building  the  house,  are  to  dig  up 
a  piece  of  ground,  and  plant  our  potatoes  and  seeds  5  and 


104  Masterman  Ready- 

to  make  a  turtle  pond,  so  as  to  catch  the  turtle  and  put 
them  in  before  the  season  is  over." 

"  You  are  right,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  but  which 
ought  to  be  done  first  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  the  turtle  pond,  as  it  will  be  only  a  few 
days'  work  for  you,  Juno,  and  Master  William.  I  shall 
not  want  your  assistance  for  this  next  week.  I  shall  fix 
upon  some  spot,  not  far  from  here,  where  the  trees  are 
thickest  in  the  grove,  and  cut  them  down  so  as  to  clear 
out  a  space  in  which  we  will,  by-and-bye,  build  our 
store-rooms  ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  rainy  season  has  gone 
by,  we  can  remove  all  our  stores  from  the  other  side  of 
the  island.  It  will  occupy  me  the  whole  of  the  week, 
cutting  down  the  trees  and  sawing  them  into  proper 
lengths,  ready  for  building  the  house,  and  then  we  must 
all  join  our  strength  and  get  it  up  without  delay.  We 
must  make  our  windows  and,  perhaps,  our  fire-place 
afterwards  ;  but,  at  all  events,  we  will  be  under  cover 
and  have  dry  beds." 

"  Can  you  really  manage  to  get  it  up  in  time  ?  How 
soon  do  you  expect  the  rains  will  come  on  ?  " 

"In  three  or  four  weeks:  the  season  is  not  always 
exact,  but  certainly  not  much  later.  After  next  week, 
I  shall  probably  have  the  assistance  of  two  of  you,  if  not 
of  all.     Now  I  think  of  it,  I  must  return  to  the  cove." 

"What  for?" 

"  Don't  you  recollect,  sir,  your  two-wheeled  carriage, 
packed  up  in  matting,  which  was  thrown  on  shore  in  the 
gale  ?  You  laughed  when  you  saw  it,  and  said  it  would 
be  of  little  use  now ;  but,  Mr  Seagrave,  the  wheels  and 
axle  will  be  very  useful,  as  we  can  make  a  wide  path  to 
the  place  when  I  cut  down  the  trees,  and  wheel  out  the 
logs  much  more  easily  than  we  can  drag  or  carry  them." 

"That  is  an  excellent  idea  of  yours,  Ready.  It  will, 
indeed,  save  a  great  deal  of  labour." 

"  I  expect  that  it  will,  sir.  Master  William  and  I  will 
go  away  early  on  Monday  morning,  and  be  back  before 
breakfast.      To-day  we  will   fix    upon   the  spots  where 


Masterman  Ready  105 

our  garden  is  to  be,  our  turtle  pond  to  be  made,  and  the 
trees  to  be  cut  down.  That  shall  be  our  business,  Mr 
Seagrave ;  and  "William  and  Juno  may  put  things  a  little 
more  to  rights  here,  until  we  can  employ  them." 

Mr  Seagrave  and  Ready  then  walked  down  to  the 
beach,  and,  after  surveying  the  reefs  for  some  time, 
Ready  said,  "  You  see,  Mr  Seagrave,  we  do  not  want 
too  much  water  for  a  turtle  pond,  as  if  it  is  too  deep 
there  is  a  difficulty  in  catching  them  when  we  want  them ; 
what  we  want  is  a  space  of  water  surrounded  by  a  low 
wall  of  stones,  so  that  the  animals  cannot  escape,  for 
they  cannot  climb  up,  although  they  can  walk  on  the 
shelving  sand  with  their  flippers.  Now,  sir,  the  reef 
here  is  high  out  of  the  water,  and  the  space  within  the 
reef  and  the  beach  is  deep  enough,  and  the  rocks  on  the 
beach  nearly  fill  up  that  side  and  prevent  them  crawling 
away  by  the  shore.  We  have,  therefore,  little  more  to 
do  than  to  fill  up  the  two  other  sides,  and  then  our  pond 
will  be  complete." 

"  I  see  it  will  not  be  a  very  long  job  either,  if  we  can 
find  loose  rocks  enough,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave. 

"  Almost  all  those  which  are  on  the  beach  are  loose," 
replied  Ready,  "  and  there  are  plenty  close  to  us :  some  of 
them  will  be  too  heavy  to  carry ;  but  they  can  be  brought 
here  with  the  aid  of  handspikes  and  crowbars — we  have 
three  or  four  with  us.  Now,  sir,  suppose  we  make  a 
signal  for  Master  William  and  Juno,  and  set  them  to  work. 
They  may  do  something  before  dinner." 

Mr  Seagrave  called  and  waved  his  hat,  and  Juno  and 
William  came  down  to  them.  Juno  was  ordered  to  go 
back  for  two  handspikes,  while  Ready  explained  to  William 
what  was  to  be  done.  Having  stayed  with  them  and  assisted 
them  for  some  time  after  Juno  had  returned  with  the 
implements,  Mr  Seagrave  and  Ready  proceeded  to  the 
point,  to  fix  upon  a  spot  for  a  garden,  leaving  William  and 
Juno  to  continue  their  labour. 


io6  Masterman  Ready- 


Chapter  XXV 

Mr  Seagrave  and  Ready  then  continued  their  way  along 
the  beach,  until  they  arrived  at  the  point  which  the  latter 
had  considered  as  a  convenient  place  to  make  the  garden. 
They  found  a  sufficiency  of  mould,  although  not  very 
deep  ;  and  as  the  point  was  narrow  at  its  joining  on  to  the 
mainland,  no  great  length  of  enclosure  would  be  required. 

"  You  see,  sir,"  said  Ready,  "  we  can  wait  till  after  the 
rainy  season  is  over  before  we  put  up  the  fence,  and  we 
can  prepare  it  in  the  meantime,  when  the  weather  will 
permit  us  to  work.  The  seeds  and  potatoes  will  not  come 
up  until  after  the  rains  are  finished  ;  so  all  we  have  to  do 
is  to  dig  up  the  ground,  and  put  them  in  as  fast  as  we  can. 
We  must  clear  away  this  brushwood,  which  will  not  be 
difficult  where  the  soil  is  so  light,  and  sow  a  portion  of 
our  seeds,  for  we  cannot  make  a  large  garden  this  year ; 
but  our  potatoes  we  must  contrive  to  get  in,  if  we  cannot 
manage  anything  else." 

"  If  we  have  no  fence  to  make,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave, 
"  I  think  we  shall  be  able  to  clear  away  quite  enough 
ground  in  a  week  to  put  in  all  that  we  require." 

"The  first  job  will  be  to  pull  up  the  small  brushwood," 
said  Ready,  "  and  turn  up  the  ground :  the  larger  plants 
we  must  leave,  if  we  have  not  time.  Master  Tommy 
might  be  of  some  use  here  in  taking  away  the  shrubs  as 
you  pull  them  up ;  but  we  had  better  now  go  on  to  the 
grove,  and  choose  the  spot  for  cutting  down  the  trees.  I 
have  made  my  mark.  There  it  is,  about  fifty  yards  on  the 
side  of  the  tent.  We  must  walk  on  about  loo  yards 
straight  into  the  grove." 

Ready  and  Mr  Seagrave  proceeded  in  the  direction 
which  the  former  had  pointed  out,  until  they  arrived  at  a 
spot  on  a  rising  ground,  where  the  trees  were  so  thick 
that  it  was  not  very  easy  to  pass  through  them. 

"There  is  the  place,  sir,"  said  Ready.     "  I  propose  to 


Masterman  Ready  107 

cut  all  the  timber  we  want  for  the  houses  out  of  this  part 
of  the  grove,  and  to  leave  an  open  square  place,  in  the 
centre  of  which  we  will  build  our  store-rooms.  You  see, 
sir,  if  necessary, — although,  certainly,  there  is  no  appear- 
ance of  its  being  likely  at  present, — with  a  very  little 
trouble  we  might  turn  it  into  a  place  of  protection  and 
defence,  as  a  few  palisades  here  and  there  between  the 
trees  would  make  it,  what  they  call  in  the  East  Indies,  a 
stockade." 

"  Very  true,  my  good  fellow ;  but  I  trust  we  shall  not 
require  it  for  such  a  purpose." 

"I  hope  so  too,  sir;  but  there  is  nothing  like  being 
prepared :  however,  we  have  plenty  to  do  before  we  can 
think  of  doing  that.  Now,  sir,  as  dinner  is  ready,  suppose 
we  return,  and  after  dinner  we  will  both  commence  our 
tasks.     I  like  a  beginning,  if  it  be  ever  so  small." 

Juno  and  William  returned  to  the  dinner  which  Mrs 
Seagrave  had  prepared.  They  were  both  very  warm 
with  their  work,  which  was  very  hard,  but  very  eager  to 
finish  their  task.  Master  Tommy  had  been  very  trouble- 
some during  the  whole  of  the  morning  :  he  had  not  learnt 
his  lesson,  and  had  put  a  cinder  into  Caroline's  hand  and 
burnt  her.  He  was,  therefore,  as  soon  as  his  father  was 
told  of  his  bad  behaviour,  condemned  to  go  without  his 
dinner ;  and  he  sat  down  very  sulky,  looking  very  wist- 
fully at  the  victuals  as  they  disappeared ;  but  he  did  not 
cry,  or  ask  to  be  forgiven.  After  dinner  was  over,  Mrs 
Seagrave  requested  her  husband,  as  he  was  about  to  go 
down  to  the  point,  with  the  spade  and  a  small  hatchet  in 
his  hand,  to  take  Tommy  with  him,  as  she  had  a  great 
deal  to  do,  and  could  not  watch  him  as  well  as  the  baby 
and  Caroline.  So  Mr  Seagrave  took  Master  Tommy  by 
the  hand,  and  led  him  to  the  point,  and  made  him  sit  down 
close  to  him  while  he  cleared  away  the  brushwood. 

Mr  Seagrave  worked  very  hard,  and  when  he  had  cut 
down  and  cleared  a  portion  of  the  ground,  he  made 
Tommy  carry  away  to  a  little  distance,  and  pile  in  a  heap, 
the  bushes  which  he  had  cleared  away.     This  Tommy  did 


108  Masterman  Ready- 

very  unwillingly,  as  he  was  in  a  bad  humour.  When  Mr 
Seagrave  had  cleared  away  a  large  piece  of  ground  with 
his  hatchet,  he  then  took  his  spade  to  dig  at  the  roots  and 
turn  up  the  mould,  leaving  Tommy  to  amuse  himself. 
What  Tommy  did  for  about  an  hour,  during  which  Mr 
Seagrave  worked  very  diligently,  his  father  did  not 
observe ;  but  all  of  a  sudden  he  began  to  cry ;  and 
when  his  father  asked  him  the  reason,  he  did  not 
answer,  but  only  cried  the  more,  until  at  last  he  put 
his  hands  to  his  stomach,  and  roared  most  lustily. 
As  he  appeared  to  be  in  very  great  pain,  his  father 
left  off  work,  and  led  him  up  to  the  tent,  when  Mrs 
Seagrave  came  out,  alarmed  at  his  cries.  He  would, 
however,  do  nothing  but  roar,  refusing  to  answer  any 
questions,  and  his  father  and  mother  could  not  imagine 
what  was  the  matter  with  him.  Old  Ready,  who  had 
heard  Master  Tommy  screaming  for  so  long  a  while, 
thought  that  there  might  be  something  serious,  and  left 
his  work  to  ascertain  the  cause.  When  he  heard  what  had 
passed  he  said — 

"  Depend  upon  it,  sir,  the  child  has  eaten  something 
which  has  made  him  ill.  Tell  me,  Tommy,  what  did  you 
eat  when  you  were  down  there  ? " 

"  Berries,"  roared  Tommy. 

"  I  thought  as  much,  ma'am,"  said  Ready.  "  I  must 
go  and  see  what  the  berries  were."  And  the  old  man 
hastened  down  to  the  place  where  Mr  Seagrave  had  been 
at  work.  In  the  meantime  Mrs  Seagrave  was  very  much 
alarmed  lest  the  child  should  have  poisoned  himself,  and 
Mr  Seagrave  went  to  search  among  the  medicines  for  some 
castor  oil. 

Ready  returned  just  as  Mr  Seagrave  came  back  to  the 
tent  with  the  bottle  of  castor  oil,  and  he  told  Ready  that 
he  was  about  to  give  Tommy  a  dose. 

"Well,  sir,"  replied  Ready,  who  had  a  plant  in  his 
hand,  "  I  don't  think  you  should  give  him  any,  for  it 
appears  to  me  that  he  has  taken  too  much  already.  See, 
sir,  this  is,  if  I  recollect  right, — and  I'm  almost  sure  that 


Masterman  Ready  109 

I  am  right, — the  castor  oil  plant,  and  here  are  some  of 
the  castor  oil  beans  which  Master  Tommy  has  been  eating. 
Tell  me,  Tommy,  did  you  eat  them  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  cried  Tommy,  putting  both  hands  to  his 
stomach. 

"  I  thought  so  :  give  him  a  little  warm  drink,  ma'am, 
and  he'll  soon  be  better  :  there's  no  great  harm  done  ; 
and  it  will  teach  him  not  to  eat  berries  or  beans 
again." 

"What  Ready  said  was  true  ;  nevertheless  Master  Tommy 
was  very  ill  for  the  whole  of  the  day,  and  was  put  into 
bed  very  early. 

Chapter  XXVI 

The  next  day,  when  Mr  Seagrave,  William,  Juno,  and 
Ready  were  all  at  work  at  their  allotted  tasks,  Mrs 
Seagrave  was  sitting  down  at  the  front  of  the  tent, 
the  little  baby,  Albert,  crawling  close  to  her,  Caroline 
trying  to  work  with  her  needle,  and  Master  Tommy  was 
making  holes  in  the  ground,  and  putting  a  small  stone  into 
each  hole. 

"  What  are  you  doing,  Tommy  ?  "  said  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  I'm  playing — I'm  making  a  garden,"  replied  Tommy. 

"  Making  a  garden  !  then  you  ought  to  plant  some  trees 
in  it." 

"  No  ;  I'm  sowing  seeds  :  look  here,"  replied  Tommy, 
pointing  to  the  stones. 

"  Stones  won't  grow,  mamma,"  said  little  Caroline. 

""  No,  my  dear,  they  will  not ;  but  the  seeds  of  plants 
and  flowers  will." 

"  I  know  that,"  said  Tommy;  "  but  I'm  making  believe, 
because  I  have  no  seeds." 

"  But  you  said  you  were  sowing  seeds,  Tommy,  and  not 
stones." 

"  Well,  but  I  pretend,  and  that's  the  same  thing," 
replied  Tommy. 


1 1  o  Masterman  Ready 

"  Not  exactly,  Tommy ;  suppose  now,  instead  of  eating 
those  beans  yesterday,  you  had  only  pretended  to  eat  them, 
wouldn't  it  have  been  better  ?  " 

"  I  won't  eat  any  more,"  replied  Tommy. 

"No,  not  of  those  beans  ;  but  if  you  saw  anything  else 
which  you  thought  you  would  like,  I  am  afraid  you  would 
eat  it,  and  be  as  ill  and  even  worse  than  you  were.  You 
should  never  eat  anything  that  is  not  given  to  you." 

"  I  like  cocoa-nuts ;  why  don't  we  have  some  to  eat  ? 
there's  plenty  there  upon  the  trees." 

"  But  who  is  to  climb  up  so  high,  Tommy  ?  can  you  ? " 

"  No ;  but  why  don't  Ready  climb,  or  papa,  or  William  ? 
Why  don't  you  make  Juno  climb  ?     I  like  cocoa-nuts." 

"  I  suppose  they  will  get  some  by-and-bye,  when  they 
are  not  so  busy,  but  they  have  no  time  now.  Don't  you 
see  how  hard  they  all  work  ?  " 

"  I  like  turtle  soup,"  replied  Tommy. 

"William  and  Juno  are  making  a  pond  to  put  turtle  in, 
and  then  we  shall  have  it  oftener  ;  but  we  cannot  have 
everything  we  like  when  we  wish  for  it." 

"  What's  a  turtle,  mamma  ?  "  said  little  Caroline. 

"  It's  a  sort  of  animal  that  lives  in  the  water,  but  it  is 
not  a  fish." 

"  I  like  fried  fish,"  said  Tommy  ;  "  why  don't  we  have 
fried  fish  ? " 

"  Because  every  one  is  too  busy  to  catch  them  just  now. 
By-and-bye  you  will  have  some,  I  have  no  doubt.  Tommy, 
dear,  go  and  bring  your  brother  Albert  back ;  he  has 
crawled  too  near  to  Billy  the  goat,  and  he  butts  some- 
times." 

Tommy  went  after  the  baby,  who  was  crawling  towards 
the  kid,  which  had  now  grown  pretty  large,  and  as  he  took 
up  his  brother  he  kicked  at  the  goat's  head. 

"  Don't  do  that,  Tommy  ;  he'll  butt  at  you,  and  hurt 
you." 

"  I  don't  care,"  replied  Tommy,  holding  the  baby  by  one 
hand  while  he  continued  to  kick  at  Billy.  Billy,  however, 
would  not  stand  it  any  longer :  he  lowered  his  head,  made 


Masterman  Ready  m 

a  bound  at  Tommy,  struck  him  in  the  chest,  and  Tommy 
and  little  Albert  rolled  on  the  ground  one  over  the  other. 
The  baby  roared,  and  Master  Tommy  began  to  whimper. 
Mrs  Seagrave  ran  up  to  them  and  caught  up  the  baby  ; 
and  Master  Tommy,  a  little  alarmed,  caught  hold  of  his 
mother's  dress  for  protection,  looking  behind  him  at  Billy, 
who  appeared  very  much  inclined  to  renew  the  attack. 

"  Why  don't  you  mind  what  is  said  to  you,  Tommy  ?  I 
told  you  that  he  would  butt  you,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave, 
pacifying  the  child. 

"  I  don't  care  for  him,"  replied  Tommy,  who  perceived 
that  the  goat  was  walking  away. 

"  No,  you  are  very  brave  now  that  he  is  gone ;  but 
you're  a  very  naughty  boy  not  to  mind  what  is  said  to  you. 
Recollect  the  lion  at  the  Cape." 

"  I  don't  care  for  a  lion,"  replied  Tommy. 

"  No,  now  that  there  is  none  to  be  seen  ;  but  you  would 
be  very  much  frightened  if  you  saw  one  close  to  you." 

"  I  threw  stones  at  him,"  said  Tommy. 

"  Yes,  you  did  ;  and  if  you  had  not,  the  lion  would  not 
have  frightened  you  as  he  did,  any  more  than  Billy 
would  have  knocked  you  down  just  now,"  replied  Mrs 
Seagrave. 

"Billy  never  butts  at  me,. mamma,"  said  Caroline. 

"  No,  my  dear,  because  you  do  not  tease  him  ;  but  your 
brother  Tommy  is  very  fond  of  teasing  animals,  and  so  he 
gets  punished  and  frightened.  It  is  very  wrong  of  him  to 
do  so,  especially  as  he  is  told  by  his  father  and  me  that  he 
ought  not.  Good  children  always  obey  their  parents,  but 
Tommy  is  not  a  good  boy." 

"  You  said  I  was  a  good  boy  when  I  learnt  my  lesson 
well  this  morning,"  replied  Tommy. 

"  Yes,  but  you  should  always  be  good,"  replied  his 
mother. 

"  I  can't  be  always  good,"  said  Tommy :  "  I'm  very 
hungry,  I  want  my  dinner." 

"It  is  dinner-time,  Tommy,  that  is  certain,  but  you 
must  wait  until  they  all  come  home  from  their  work." 


ii2  Masterman  Ready 

"  There's  Ready  coming,  with  a  bag  on  his  shoulder," 
replied  Tommy. 

Ready  soon  came  up  to  where  Mrs  Seagrave  was  sitting, 
and  laid  down  the  bag.  "  I've  brought  you  some  young 
cocoa-nuts,  and  some  old  ones  also,  from  the  trees  that  I 
have  been  cutting  down." 

"  Oh  !  cocoa-nuts — I  like  cocoa-nuts  !  "  cried  Tommy. 

"  I  told  you,  Tommy,  that  we  should  have  some  by-and- 
bye,  and  they  have  come  sooner  than  we  thought.  You 
are  very  warm,  Ready." 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  replied  Ready,  wiping  his  face  ;  "  it  is 
rather  warm  work,  for  there  is  no  breeze  in  the  grove  to 
cool  one.  Is  there  anything  you  want  from  the  other  side 
of  the  island,  for  I  shall  go  there  directly  after 
dinner  ?  " 

"  What  for  ?  " 

"  I  must  bring  the  wheels  to  get  the  timber  out ;  for  I 
must  clear  it  away  as  I  go,  until  the  path  is  finished.  I 
must  have  Master  William  to  help  me." 

"  William  will  like  the  trip,  J  do  not  doubt :  he  must  be 
tired  of  carrying  and  rolling  heavy  stones.  I  do  not  recol- 
lect anything  in  particular  that  we  want,  Ready,"  replied 
Mrs  Seagrave.  "  There  he  comes  with  Juno,  and  I  see 
Mr  Seagrave  has  laid  down  his  spade ;  so  Caroline,  dear, 
take  care  of  Albert,  while  I  get  the  dinner  for  them." 

Ready  assisted  Mrs  Seagrave,  and  the  dinner  was  spread 
out  on  the  ground,  for  they  had  not  brought  the  chairs  and 
tables  with  them  to  their  new  residence,  as  they  thought 
that  they  could  do  without  them  till  the  house  was  built. 
William  reported  that  Juno  and  he  would  have  the  turtle 
pond  complete  by  the  next  day.  Mr  Seagrave  had  cleared 
sufficient  ground  to  plant  the  half  sack  of  potatoes  that  they 
had  saved  from  the  wreck,  so  that  in  a  day  or  two  they 
would  be  able  to  put  all  their  strength  upon  the  cutting  and 
drawing  of  the  timber. 

After  dinner,  William  and  Ready  set  off  in  the  boat, 
and,  before  it  was  dark,  returned  with  the  wheels  and 
axle  of  the  carriage,   and  several  other  articles,  to  make 


Masterman  Ready  1 1 3 

up  their  load  ;  they  also  had  some  thick  timber  in  tow, 
which  Ready  said  would  be  required  for  the  door-posts 
of  the  house.  Mr  Seagrave  had  left  his  work  that  after- 
noon, and  gone  to  the  assistance  of  Juno,  and  reported 
that  the  turtle  pond,  although  not  quite  finished,  was  so 
far  made,  that  the  turtle  could  not  get  out  if  they  were 
put  in. 

Chapter  XXVII 

"  Now,  Master  William,"  said  Ready,  "  if  you  are  not 
very  sleepy,  perhaps  you  would  like  to  come  with  me 
to-night,  and  see  if  we  cannot  turn  some  of  the  turtle  ; 
for  the  season  is  going  away  fast,  and  they  will  leave  the 
island  very  soon." 

"  Yes,  I  should  like  it  very  much." 

"Well,  then,  we  must  wait  till  it  is  dark:  there  will 
not  be  much  moon  to-night,  and  that  is  all  the  better." 

As  soon  as  the  sun  had  disappeared,  William  and  Ready 
went  down  to  the  beach,  and  sat  quietly  on  a  rock.  In 
a  short  time,  Ready  perceived  a  turtle  crawling  on  the 
sand,  and,  desiring  William  to  follow  him  without  speak- 
ing, walked  softly  down  by  the  water's  edge,  so  as  to 
get  between  the  animal  and  the  sea. 

As  soon  as  the  turtle  perceived  them,  it  made  for  the 
water,  but  they  met  it ;  and  Ready,  seizing  hold  of  one 
of  its  fore-flippers,  turned  it  over  on  its  back. 

"  You  see,  Master  William,  that  is  the  way  to  turn 
a  turtle  :  take  care  that  he  does  not  catch  you  with  his 
mouth,  for,  if  he  did,  he  would  bite  the  piece  out.  Re- 
collect that  :  now  the  animal  cannot  get  away,  for  he 
can't  turn  over  again,  and  we  shall  find  him  here  to- 
morrow morning  ;  so  we  will  now  walk  along  the  beach, 
and  see  if  we  cannot  find  some  more." 

Ready  and  William  remained  till  past  midnight,  during 
which  they  turned  sixteen  turtle,  large  and  small. 

"  I  think  that  will  do,  Master  William,  for  once :  we 

R  H 


H4  Masterman  Ready 

have  made  a  good  night's  work  of  it,  for  we  have  provided 
food  for  many  days.  We  must,  however,  try  again  in 
three  or  four  days  if  we  cannot  add  to  our  stock.  To- 
morrow we  must  put  them  all  into  the  pond." 

"  How  shall  we  carry  such  large  animals  ? " 

"  We  need  not  carry  them  ;  we  must  put  some  old 
canvas  under  them,  and  haul  them  along  by  that  means  ; 
we  can  easily  do  that  on  the  smooth  sand." 

"  Why  don't  we  catch  some  fish,  Ready  ?  We  might 
put  them  into  the  turtle  pond." 

"  They  would  not  stay  there  long,  Master  William, 
nor  could  we  easily  get  them  out  if  they  did.  We  must 
make  a  pond  on  purpose  for  fish  by-and-bye  :  we  have 
had  no  time,  for  other  things  have  pressed  upon  us  of 
more  consequence.  I  have  often  thought  of  getting  some 
lines  ready,  and  yet  the  time  has  never  come,  for  I  feel 
sleepy  after  our  day's  work ;  but  as  soon  as  the  house 
is  built,  we  will  have  them,  and  you  shall  be  fisherman 
in  chief,  after  I  have  once  shown  you  how." 

"  But  the  fish  will  bite  at  night,  will  they  not  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  and  better  than  they  do  in  the  daytime." 

"  Well,  then,  if  you  will  get  me  a  line  and  show  me 
how,  I  will  fish  for  an  hour  or  so  after  the  work  is  done ; 
for  Tommy  is  always  asking  for  fried  fish ;  and  I  know 
mamma  is  getting  very  tired  of  salt  meat,  and  does  not 
think  it  good  for  Caroline.  She  was  very  glad  when  you 
brought  the  cocoa-nuts  the  day  before  yesterday." 

"Well,  then,  I  will  get  a  bit  of  candle  to-morrow 
night,  and  fit  up  two  fishing-lines.  But  I  must  go  with 
you,  Master  William.  We  don't  use  much  candle,  at 
all  events." 

"  No,  we  are  too  glad  to  go  to  bed  :  but  there  are 
two  or  three  boxes  of  one  sort  or  another  up  in  the  cove. 
What  shall  we  do  when  they  are  all  gone  ?  " 

"  We  shall  have  to  use  the  cocoa-nut  oil,  and  we  shall 
never  want  for  that.     Good-night,  Master  William." 

The  next  morning  before  breakfast  all  hands  were 
employed   in   getting    the    turtle   into    the    pond.     After 


Masterman  Ready  1 15 

breakfast,  William  and  Juno  finished  the  pond  where  the 
walls  had  not  been  raised  high  enough  ;  and,  when  they 
returned  to  dinner,  reported  that  their  task  was  completed. 
Mr  Seagrave  also  said  that  he  had,  he  thought,  cleared 
quite  ground  enough  for  the  present ;  and  as  Mrs  Seagrave 
wanted  Juno  to  help  her  to  wash  the  linen  that  afternoon, 
it  was  agreed  that  William,  Ready,  and  Mr  Seagrave 
should  all  go  down  to  the  garden,  and  put  in  the 
potatoes. 

Ready  worked  with  the  spade,  while  Mr  Seagrave  and 
William  cut  the  potatoes  in  pieces,  so  as  to  have  an  eye 
in  each  piece ;  and  while  they  were  thus  occupied,  William 
said  to  his  father,  in  the  course  of  their  conversation — 

"  Father,  you  promised  me  the  day  after  we  left  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  that  you  would  explain  to  me  why  it 
was  so  called,  and  also  the  nature  of  a  colony.  Will  you 
do  so  now  ?  " 

"  I  will,  my  dear  boy :  but  you  must  listen  to  me 
attentively ;  and  if  you  do  not  understand  what  I  say, 
recollect  you  tell  me  so,  and  I  will  try  to  explain  it  to 
you.  You  have  been  told  that  we  English  are  now  the 
masters  of  the  sea,  but  such  has  not  always  been  the  case. 
The  earliest  navigators  of  modern  times  were  the  Spanish 
and  Portuguese.  The  Spaniards  discovered  South 
America,  and  the  Portuguese  the  East  Indies.  At  that 
time,  now  more  than  300  years  ago,  England  was  not  the 
powerful  nation  which  she  now  is,  and  had  comparatively 
few  ships ;  neither  could  the  English,  in  enterprise,  be 
compared  to  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  nations.  The 
Portuguese,  in  attempting  a  passage  to  the  East  Indies, 
arrived  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope ;  but  at  that  period 
ships  were  very  small  compared  to  what  they  are  now  ; 
and  it  blew  so  hard  about  this  cape,  that  they  could  not 
sail  round  it,  and  they  at  first  called  it  Cabo  Tormentoso, 
or  the  Stormy  Cape.  At  last  they  succeeded  in  their 
attempts,  and  then  it  was  called  the  Cabo  da  Buona 
Speranza,  or  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  They  arrived  safe  at 
India,  and,  taking  possession  of  many  parts,  carried  on  a 


1 16  Masterman  Ready 

trade  which  was  a  source  of  great  wealth  to  their  country. 
You  understand  me  ? " 

"  Yes,  papa." 

"  My  dear  boy,  you  know  very  well  that  a  man  is  born, 
arrives  at  manhood  and  strength,  grows  old,  decays,  and 
dies.  As  it  is  with  man,  so  it  is  with  nations.  The 
Portuguese  were  then  in  their  manhood  as  a  nation ;  but 
other  nations  rose  up  in  strength ;  and  among  others  the 
Dutch,  who  were  the  first  to  dispute  with  the  Portuguese 
the  commerce  of  the  Indies  :  gradually  they  wrested  their 
colonies  from  them,  and  carried  on  the  trade  in  their  stead. 
Then  the  English  forced  their  way  there,  seized  upon  the 
colonies  of  both  Dutch  and  Portuguese,  and  have  ever 
since  held  possession.  Portugal,  that  was  once  the  most 
enterprising  nation  in  the  world,  is  now  a  mere  cipher ; 
the  Dutch  have  gradually  decreased  in  their  importance  : 
while  the  sun  is  said,  and  very  truly,  never  to  set  upon 
the  English  possessions ;  for,  as  the  world  turns  round  to 
it,  the  sun  shines  either  upon  one  portion  or  another  of 
the  globe  which  is  a  colony  to  our  country." 

"  Yes,  I  understand  perfectly,  papa ;  but  now  tell  me 
why  are  England  and  other  nations  so  anxious  to  have 
what  you  call  colonies  ? "  replied  William. 

"  Because  they  tend  so  much  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
mother-country.  In  their  infancy  they  generally  are  an 
expense  to  her,  as  they  require  her  care ;  but  as  they 
advance,  they  are  able  to  repay  her  by  taking  her  manu- 
factures, and  returning  for  them  their  own  produce ;  an 
exchange  mutually  advantageous,  but  more  so  to  the 
mother-country  than  to  the  colony,  as  the  mother-country, 
assuming  to  herself  the  right  of  supplying  all  the  wants 
of  the  colony,  has  a  market  for  the  labour  of  her  own 
people,  without  any  competition.  And  here,  my  boy,  you 
may  observe  what  a  parallel  there  is  between  a  colony 
and  the  mother-country  and  a  child  and  its  parent.  In 
infancy,  the  mother-country  assists  and  supports  the  colony 
as  an  infant ;  as  it  advances  and  becomes  vigorous,  the 
colony  returns  the  obligation  :  but  the  parallel  does  not 


Masterman  Ready  117 

end  there.  As  soon  as  the  colony  has  grown  strong 
and  powerful  enough  to  take  care  of  itself,  it  throws  off 
the  yoke  of  subjection,  and  declares  itself  independent ; 
just  as  a  son,  who  has  grown  up  to  manhood,  leaves 
his  father's  house,  and  takes  up  a  business  to  gain  his 
own  livelihood.  This  is  as  certain  to  be  the  case,  as  it 
is  that  a  bird  as  soon  as  it  can  fly  will  leave  its  parent's 
nest.  We  have  had  a  great  example  of  it  in  the  United 
States,  which,  fifty  years  ago,  were  colonies  to  Great 
Britain,  but  are  now  fast  becoming  one  of  the  most 
powerful  of  nations." 

"  But  is  it  not  very  ungrateful  of  a  colony  to  leave  the 
mother-country,  which  has  protected  it  so  long,  as  soon  as 
it  no  longer  requires  its  assistance  ? " 

"  It  may  at  first  appear  to  be  so ;  but,  on  reflection,  we 
must  decide  otherwise :  the  mother-country  has  been  more 
than  repaid  for  what  it  has  done  for  the  colony  long  before 
the  colony  is  able  to  throw  off  its  dependence ;  and,  after 
a  certain  time,  the  rights  assumed  by  the  mother-country 
become  too  onerous  to  bear :  you  must  not  treat  a  grown- 
up man  as  you  would  a  child." 

"Now,  father,  answer  me  another  question.  You  said 
that  nations  rise  and  fall ;  and  you  have  mentioned  the 
Portuguese  as  a  proof.  Will  England  ever  fall,  and  be  of 
no  more  importance  than  Portugal  is  now  ? " 

"  We  can  only  decide  that  question  by  looking  into 
history ;  and  history  tells  us  that  such  is  the  fate  of  all 
nations.  We  must,  therefore,  expect  that  it  will  one  day 
be  the  fate  of  our  dear  country.  At  present  we  see  no 
appearance  of  it,  any  more  than  we  perceive  the  latent 
seeds  of  death  in  our  own  bodies  ;  but  still  the  time  arrives 
when  man  must  die,  and  so  it  must  be  with  nations.  Did 
the  Portuguese,  in  the  height  of  their  prosperity,  ever 
think  that  they  would  be  reduced  to  what  they  are  now  ? 
Would  they  have  believed  it  ?  Yes,  my  dear  boy,  the 
English  nation  must  in  time  meet  with  the  fate  of  all 
others.  There  are  various  causes  which  may  hasten  or 
protract  the  period ;  but,  sooner  or  later,  England  will  no 


n8  Masterman  Ready- 

more  be  mistress  of  the  seas,  or  boast  of  her  possessions 
all  over  the  world." 

"  I  hope  it  will  be  a  long  while  first." 

"  And  so  does  every  Englishman  who  loves  his  country. 
Recollect  that  when  the  Roman  empire  was  in  the  height 
of  its  power,  Great  Britain  was  peopled  by  mere  barbarians 
and  savages.  Now  Rome  has  disappeared,  and  is  only 
known  in  history,  and  by  the  relics  of  its  former  greatness, 
while  England  ranks  among  the  highest  of  nations.  How 
is  the  major  portion  of  the  continent  of  Africa  peopled  ? 
by  barbarians  and  savages ;  and  who  knows  what  they 
may  become  some  future  day  ? " 

"  What !  the  negroes  become  a  great  nation  ? " 

"  That  is  exactly  what  the  Romans  might  have  said  in 
former  days.  What !  the  British  barbarians  become  a 
great  nation  ?  and  yet  they  have  become  so." 

"  But  the  negroes,  father, — they  are  blacks." 

"  Very  true  ;  but  that  is  no  reason  to  the  contrary.  As 
to  darkness  of  the  skin,  the  majority  of  the  Moors  are 
quite  as  black  as  the  negroes ;  yet  they  were  once  a  great 
nation,  and,  moreover,  the  most  enlightened  nation  of  their 
time,  with  a  great  many  excellent  qualities,  full  of  honour, 
generosity,  politeness,  and  chivalry.  They  conquered  and 
held  the  major  part  of  Spain  for  many  hundred  years ; 
introduced  arts  and  sciences  then  unknown,  and  were  as 
brave  and  heroic  as  they  were  virtuous  and  honourable. 
You  have  never  read  the  history  of  the  Moors  in  Spain." 

"  No,  father :  I  should  like  to  read  it  very  much." 

"  And  you  will  like  it  much  more  when  you  have  read 
it :  it  is  a  history  full  of  adventures  and  incidents,  probably 
the  most  amusing  that  were  ever  collected  together.  I 
have  it  in  the  library  which  I  made  in  the  expectation  of 
arriving  at  Sydney;  but  whether  it  is  among  the  books 
which  have  been  saved  I  cannot  tell :  by-and-bye  we  shall 
have  more  time  to  look  after  them." 

"There  were  two  cases  of  books  thrown  ashore,  I 
think,  father  ? " 

"  Yes,  two  or  three ;  but,  if  I  recollect  right,  I  had 


Masterman  Ready  119 

fifteen  or  sixteen  altogether. — Now  that  we  have  finished 
cutting  the  potatoes,  let  us  go  and  assist  Ready  in  planting 
them  and  the  seeds  which  we  have  brought  down  with 


us." 


Chapter  XXVIII 

That  night  Ready  sat  up  for  two  or  three  hours  working 
by  candlelight  (William  keeping  him  company),  very 
busily  engaged  fitting  up  the  fishing-lines  with  leads 
and  hooks.     At  last  two  were  complete. 

"  What  bait  must  we  use,  Ready  ? " 

"I  should  think  that  the  best  would  be  one  of  the 
fish  out  of  the  shells  which  are  in  the  sand ;  but  a  piece 
of  pork  fat  will,  I  dare  say,  do  as  well." 

"  And  whereabouts  would  you  fish,  Ready  ?" 

"The  best  place,  I  should  think,  would  be  at  the 
farthermost  end  of  the  point,  where  I  got  the  boat 
through  the  reef — the  water  is  deep  there  close  to  the 
rocks." 

"  I  was  thinking,  Ready,  if  those  gannets  and  men-of-war 
birds  would  be  good  eating." 

"  Not  very,  Master  William ;  they  are  very  tough  and 
very  fishy :  we  must  try  for  those  when  we  can  get 
nothing  better.  Now  that  we  have  got  in  the  seeds  and 
potatoes,  we  must  all  set  to  to-morrow  morning  to  fell 
and  carry  the  timber.  I  think  Mr  Seagrave  had  better 
use  the  axe  with  me ;  and  you  and  Juno  can,  when  I 
have  shown  you  how,  hang  the  timber  to  the  axle,  and 
wheel  it  out  to  the  place  where  we  have  decided  upon 
building  the  house.     And  now  we  had  better  go  to  bed." 

William,  however,  had  made  up  his  mind  to  do  other- 
wise :  he  knew  that  his  mother  would  be  very  glad  to 
have  some  fish,  and  he  determined,  as  the  moon  shone 
bright,  to  try  if  he  could  not  catch  some  before  he  went 
to  bed ;  so  he  waited  very  quietly  till  he  thought  Ready 
was  asleep,  as  well  as  the  others,  and  then  went  out  with 


120  Masterman  -Ready 

the  lines,  and  went  down  to  the  beach,  where  he  picked 
up  three  or  four  shells,  and,  breaking  them  between 
two  pieces  of  rock,  took  out  the  fish  and  baited  his  hooks. 
He  then  walked  to  the  point.  It  was  a  beautiful  night ; 
the  water  was  very  smooth,  and  the  moonbeams  pierced 
deep  below  the  surface.  William  threw  in  his  line,  and 
as  soon  as  the  lead  touched  the  bottom  he  pulled  it  up 
about  a  foot,  as  Ready  had  instructed  him ;  and  he  had 
not  held  his  line  more  than  half  a  minute,  when  it  was 
jerked  so  forcibly,  that,  not  expecting  it,  he  was  nearly 
hauled  into  the  water ;  as  it  was,  the  fish  was  so  strong 
that  the  line  slipped  through  his  hand  and  scored  his 
fingers ;  but  after  a  time  he  was  able  to  pull  it  in,  and 
he  landed  on  the  beach  a  large  silver-scaled  fish,  weighing 
nine  or  ten  pounds.  As  soon  as  he  had  dragged  it  so 
far  away  from  the  edge  of  the  rocks  as  to  prevent  its 
flapping  into  the  water  again,  William  took  out  the  hook 
and  determined  to  try  for  another.  His  line  was  down 
as  short  a  time  as  before,  when  it  was  again  jerked  with 
violence ;  but  William  was  this  time  prepared,  and  he 
let  out  the  line  and  played  the  fish  till  it  was  tired,  and 
then  pulled  it  up,  and  found  that  the  second  fish  was 
even  larger  than  the  first.  Satisfied  with  his  success, 
he  wound  up  his  lines,  and,  running  a  piece  of  string 
through  the  gills  of  the  fish,  dragged  them  back  to  the 
tents,  and  hanged  them  to  the  pole,  for  fear  of  the 
dogs  eating  them ;  he  then  went  in,  and  was  soon  fast 
asleep.  The  next  morning  William  was  the  first  up, 
and  showed  his  prizes  with  much  glee ;  but  Ready  was 
very  much  displeased  with  him. 

"  You  did  very  wrong,  Master  William,  to  run  the 
risk  which  you  did.  If  you  were  resolved  to  catch  fish, 
why  did  you  not  tell  me,  and  I  would  have  gone  with 
you  ?  You  say,  yourself,  that  the  fish  nearly  hauled  you 
into  the  water ;  suppose  it  had  done  so,  or  suppose  a 
small  shark  instead  of  one  of  these  gropers  (as  we  call 
them)  had  taken  the  bait,  you  must  have  been  jerked  in ; 
and  the  rocks  are  so  steep  there,  that  you  would  not  have 


Masterman  Ready  121 

been  able  to  get  out  again  before  a  shark  had  hold  of 
you.  Think  a  moment,  Master  William,  of  what  would 
have  been  the  distress  of  your  father  and  of  me  (for  I 
love  you  dearly) ;  think  what  would  have  been  the  agony 
and  despair  of  your  poor  mother,  when  this  news  should 
have  arrived,  and  you  were  not  to  be  found,  and  never 
would  have  been  seen  again." 

"  I  was  very  wrong,  Ready,"  replied  William,  "  now 
that  I  think  of  it ;  but  I  wanted  to  surprise  and  please  my 
mother." 

"  That  reason  is  almost  sufficient  to  plead  your  pardon, 
my  dear  boy,"  replied  Ready ;  "  but  don't  do  so  again. 
Recollect,  I  am  always  willing  and  anxious  to  go  with  you 
wherever  you  wish.  And  now  let  us  say  no  more  about 
it ;  nobody  will  know  that  you  have  been  in  danger,  and 
there's  no  harm  done;  and  you  mustn't  mind  an  old  man 
scolding  you  a  little." 

"  No,  indeed,  Ready,  I  do  not,  for  I  was  very  thought- 
less ;  but  I  had  no  idea  that  there  was  danger." 

"  There's  your  mother  coming  out  of  her  tent,"  replied 
Ready. — "  Good  morning,  madam.  Do  you  know  what 
William  has  done  for  you  last  night  ?  Look,  madam,  here 
are  two  beautiful  fish,  and  very  excellent  eating  they  are, 
I  can  tell  you." 

"  I  am  quite  delighted,"  replied  Mrs  Seagrave. 
"  Tommy,  come  here.  Don't  you  want  some  fried 
fish  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Tommy. 

"  Then  look  up  at  the  pole  of  the  tent." 

Tommy  clapped  his  hands  and  danced  about,  crying, 
"  Fried  fish  for  dinner  ; "  and  Juno  said,  "  Have  very  fine 
dinner  to-day,  Missy  Caroline." 

After  breakfast  they  all  set  out  for  the  grove,  where 
Ready  had  been  cutting  down  the  trees,  taking  with  them 
the  wheels  and  axle,  and  a  couple  of  stout  ropes.  Mr 
Seagrave  and  Ready  cut  down  the  trees  and  slung  them 
to  the  axle,  and  Juno  and  William  dragged  them  to  the 
spot  where  the  house  was  to  be  built. 


122  Masterman  Ready 

They  were  not  sorry  when  dinner  was  ready,  for  it  was 
very  hard  work  ;  and  Tommy  was  so  ravenous,  although 
he  had  done  nothing,  that  at  last  they  were  obliged  to 
prevent  his  eating  any  more. 

That  night,  tired  as  they  were,  Ready  and  William 
went  out,  and  turned  eight  more  turtle.  They  continued 
felling  the  cocoa-nut  trees  and  dragging  the  timber  for  the 
remainder  of  the  week,  when  they  considered  that  they 
had  nearly  enough  to  commence  building.  Sunday  was 
passed  in  devotion  and  quiet.  On  the  Monday  night  they 
turned  nine  more  turtle,  and  caught  three  large  fish  ;  and 
on  the  Tuesday  morning  they  commenced  building  the 
house. 


Chapter   XXIX 

Ready  had  cut  out  and  prepared  the  door-posts  and 
window-frames  from  the  timber  which  he  had  towed  round 
from  the  cove.  He  now  fixed  four  poles  in  the  earth 
upright  at  each  corner,  and  then,  with  the  assistance  of 
Mr  Seagrave,  notched  every  log  of  cocoa-nut  wood  on 
both  sides,  where  it  was  to  meet  with  the  one  crossing 
it,  so  that,  by  laying  log  upon  log  alternately,  they  fitted 
pretty  close,  and  had  only  to  have  the  chinks  between 
them  filled  in  with  cocoa-nut  leaves  twisted  very  tight, 
and  forced  between  them  :  this  latter  was  the  work  of 
William  and  Juno  when  no  more  logs  were  ready  for 
carrying  j  and,  by  degrees,  the  house  rose  up  from  its 
foundation.  The  fire-place  could  not  be  made  at  once,  as 
they  had  either  to  find  clay,  or  to  burn  shells  into  lime 
and  build  it  up  with  rocks  and  mortar  ;  but  a  space  was 
left  for  it.  For  three  weeks  they  worked  very  hard  :  as 
soon  as  the  sides  were  up,  they  got  on  the  whole  of 
the  roof  and  rafters  ;  and  then,  with  the  broad  leaves  of 
the  cocoa-nut  trees  which  had  been  cut  down,  Ready 
thatched  it  very  strong  and  securely,  keeping  the  thatch 


Masterman  Ready  123 

down  with  the  weight  of  heavy  poles  slung  over  the  top 
of  the  roof  with  stout  ropes.  At  the  end  of  the  three 
weeks  the  house  was  secure  from  the  weather  ;  and  it  was 
quite  time,  for  the  weather  had  begun  to  change,  the 
clouds  now  gathered  thick,  and  the  rainy  season  was 
commencing.  They  had  a  very  violent  shower  one  day, 
and  then  the  weather  cleared  again. 

"  "We  have  no  time  to  lose,  sir,"  said  Ready  to  Mr 
Seagrave.  "We  have  worked  hard,  but  we  must  for  a 
few  days  work  harder  still.  We  must  fit  up  the  inside 
of  the  house,  so  as  to  enable  madam  to  get  into  it  as 
soon  as  possible." 

The  earth  in  the  inside  of  the  house  was  then  beaten 
down  hard,  so  as  to  make  a  floor  ;  and  a  sort  of  bedstead, 
about  two  feet  from  the  ground,  running  the  whole  length 
of  the  house,  was  raised  on  each  side  of  the  interior  :  these 
were  fitted  with  canvas  screens  to  let  down  by  night. 
And  then  Ready  and  William  took  the  last  trip  in  the 
boat  to  fetch  down  the  chairs  and  tables,  which  they  did 
just  before  the  coming  on  of  the  first  storm  of  the  season. 
The  bedding  and  all  the  utensils  were  now  taken  into  the 
house  ;  and  a  little  outhouse  was  built  up  to  cook  in,  until 
the  fire-place  could  be  made. 

It  was  late  on  the  Saturday  night  that  the  family  were 
shifted  into  the  new  house  ;  and  fortunate  it  was  that  they 
had  no  further  occasion  for  delay,  for  on  the  Sunday 
morning  the  first  storm  burst  upon  them  ;  the  wind  blew 
with  great  force :  and,  although  they  were  shielded  from 
it,  still  the  cocoa-nut  trees  ground  and  sawed  each  other's 
stems  as  they  bent  their  heads  to  its  force.  The  lightning 
was  vivid,  and  the  thunder  appalling,  while  the  rain 
descended  in  such  a  continual  torrent  that  it  appeared  as  if 
another  deluge  was  at  hand.  The  animals  left  the 
pastures,  and  sheltered  themselves  in  the  grove ;  the 
dogs  crouched  under  the  bed-places ;  and,  although 
noonday,  it  was  so  dark  that  they  could  not  see  to 
read. 

"  This,  then,  is  the  rainy  -season  which  you  talked  about, 


124  Masterman  Ready 

Ready,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave.  "  Is  it  always  like  this  ?  If 
so,  what  shall  we  do  ? " 

"  No,  madam  ;  the  sun  will  shine  sometimes,  but  not 
for  a  long  while  at  a  time.  We  shall  be  able  to  get  out 
and  do  something  every  now  and  then  almost  every  day, 
but  still  we  shall  have  rain,  perhaps,  for  many  days  with- 
out intermission,  and  we  must  work  in-doors  ;  I  dare  say 
we  shall  find  plenty  to  do." 

"  How  thankful  we  ought  to  be  that  we  have  a  house 
over  our  heads ;  why,  we  should  have  been  drowned  in 
the  tents !  " 

"  That  I  knew,  madam,  and  therefore  I  was  anxious 
to  get  a  house  over  your  head  ;  let  us  thank  God  for 
it." 

"  Indeed  we  ought,"  observed  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  and 
it  is,  indeed,  time  for  us  to  read  the  service.  Are  you 
ready,  my  dear  ?  " 

"  Quite  ready  ;  and  I'm  sure  we  shall  offer  up  our 
prayers  this  day  with  grateful  hearts,  for  he  has  been 
most  bountiful  to  us." 

The  morning  service  was  then  performed  in  the  new 
house.  Violent  as  the  rain  was,  it  did  not  penetrate 
through  the  thatch  which  had  been  put  on.  Ready  and 
William  went  out  to  secure  the  boat,  which  they  were 
afraid  would  be  injured,  and  returned  wet  to  the  skin. 
They  dined  off  cold  meat,  but  they  were  very  happy. 
The  storm  continued  without  intermission  the  whole  of 
the  night,  but  they  slept  dry  and  safe;  and,  when 
awakened  by  the  noise  of  the  thunder  and  the  pelting  of 
the  rain,  they  thanked  God  that  they  had  found  a  dwelling 
in  the  wilderness  upon  which  they  had  been  cast. 


Chapter    XXX 

At  the  end  of  the  first  volume  we  left  off  where  our 
party  on   the  island   had  taken  possession  of   their  new 


Masterman  Ready  125 

house,  at  the  commencement  of  the  rainy  season.  It  was 
on  Saturday,  and  a  storm  had  come  on,  which  had 
continued  during  the  whole  night ;  for  the  storms  are 
very  violent  in  the  tropical  countries,  when  the  rainy 
season  (which  is  equivalent  to  our  winter)  first  makes 
its  appearance.  When,  however,  they  all  rose  up  the 
next  morning,  the  clouds  had  cleared  off,  and  the  sun  was 
shining  bright.  Ready  and  Juno  were  the  first  out  of  the 
house — Ready  with  the  telescope  under  his  arm,  which 
he  always  took  with  him  when  he  went  his  rounds,  as  he 
termed  it,  in  the  morning. 

"  Well,  Juno,"  said  Ready,  "  this  is  a  fine  morning  after 
the  rain." 

"  Yes,  Massa  Ready,  very  fine  morning  ;  but  how  I  get 
fire  light,  and  make  kittle  boil  for  breakfast,  I  really  don't 
know — stick  and  cocoa-nut  trash  all  so  wet." 

"  Before  I  went  to  bed  last  night,  Juno,  I  covered 
up  the  embers  with  ashes,  put  some  stones  over  them, 
and  then  some  cocoa-nut  branches ;  so  I  think  you  will 
find  some  fire  there  yet.  You  see,  Juno,  we  must  do  our 
best ;  we  can't  do  everything  at  once ;  but  next  year,  if 
we  live  and  do  well,  I  dare  say  we  shall  have  a  stack  of 
dry  fuel,  and  well  thatched,  all  ready  for  the  rainy  season. 
I  was  going  my  morning's  round,  but  I  will  stay  a  little 
and  help  you." 

"  Tank  you,  Massa  Ready ;  plenty  rain  fall  last  night." 

"  Yes,  not  a  little,  Juno ;  you  must  not  expect  to  find 
the  water  at  the  well  very  clear  this  morning ;  indeed, 
I  doubt  if  you  will  see  the  well  at  all.  Here's  some  stuff 
which  is  not  very  wet." 

"  I  got  plenty  of  fire,  too,"  replied  Juno,  who  had  re- 
moved the  branches  and  stones,  and  was  now  on  her 
knees  blowing  up  the  embers. 

"  You'll  do  very  well  now,  Juno,"  said  Ready  ; 
"  besides,  Master  William  will  be  out  directly— so  I'll 
leave  you." 

Ready  whistled  to  the  dogs,  who  came  bounding  out, 
and  then  set  off  on  his  round  of  inspection.     He   first 


126  Masterman  Ready 

directed  his  steps  to  the  well  in  the  ravine  ;  but,  instead 
of  the  gushing  spring  and  the  limpid,  clear  water,  with 
which  the  cask  sunk  for  a  well  had  been  filled,  there  was 
now  a  muddy  torrent,  rushing  down  the  ravine,  and 
the  well  was  covered  with  it,  and  not  to  be  distinguished. 

"  I  thought  as  much,"  said  Ready,  musing  over  the 
impetuous  stream ;  "  well,  better  too  much  water  than 
too  little."  Ready  waded  through,  as  he  wished  to  examine 
the  turtle  pond,  which  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream. 
Finding  all  right,  he  again  crossed  the  water,  where  it  was 
now  spread  wide  over  the  sandy  beach,  until  he  came  to 
the  other  point,  where  he  had  moored  his  boat,  both  by 
the  head  and  stern,  with  a  rope,  and  a  heavy  stone  made 
fast  to  it,  as  an  anchor. 

From  this  point,  as  usual,  he  surveyed  the  horizon 
with  his  telescope ;  not  that  he  thought  that  there  was  a 
chance  of  a  vessel  arriving  among  these  islands  ;  but,  still, 
as  it  was  possible,  he  took  the  trouble ;  but  never  except 
when  he  went  out  in  the  morning  alone,  as  he  was  aware 
that  the  very  circumstance  of  his  so  doing  would  make 
Mr  Seagrave  melancholy  and  unsettled.  As  usual,  he 
dropped  the  telescope  on  his  arm,  after  his  survey,  saying 
to  himself,  "  Little  use  doing  that." 

The  gale  having  blown  off  shore,  the  boat  had  dragged 
her  moorings,  and  was  so  far  out,  that  Ready  could  not 
get  at  her. 

"Here's  a  puzzle,"  said  the  old  man;  "how  foolish  of 
me  not  to  have  made  a  line  fast  to  the  shore.  Fll  not  trust 
myself  to  John  Shark  by  swimming  to  the  boat." 

"  Let  me  see."  Ready  took  the  halyards  and  sheets 
belonging  to  the  boat's  sails,  which  he  had  left  on  the 
beach,  and  bent  one  on  to  the  other  until  he  had  sufficient 
length  of  rope.  He  then  made  a  piece  of  wood,  about 
two  feet  long,  fast  by  the  middle  to  the  end  of  the  rope, 
and,  after  one  or  two  attempts,  contrived  to  throw  it  into 
the  boat.  The  piece  of  wood  caught  under  one  of  the 
thwarts,  and  this  enabled  him  to  draw  the  boat  to  the 
shore.     Having  baled  out  the  water  which  had  fallen  into 


Masterman  Ready  127 

her  during  the  storm,  he  then  landed  again  and  examined 
the  garden. 

"  Now  to  find  the  sheep  and  goats,"  said  Ready,  "  and 
then  my  morning's  walk  is  over.  Now,  Romulus,  now, 
Remus,  boys,  find  them  out,"  continued  he  5  and  the  dogs, 
who  appeared  to  know  what  he  was  in  search  of,  went 
away  in  pursuit,  and  soon  found  the  sheep  and  two  of  the 
goats,  but  the  third  goat  was  not  with  them. 

"Why,  where  can  Black  Nanny  be?"  muttered  old 
Ready,  stopping  a  little  while  ;  at  last  he  heard  a  bleat, 
in  a  small  copse  of  brushwood,  to  which  he  directed  his 
steps,  followed  by  the  dogs.  "  I  thought  as  much,"  said 
the  old  man,  as  he  perceived  Nanny  lying  down  in  the 
copse  with  two  new-born  kids  at  her  side.  "  Come,  my 
little  fellows,  we  must  find  some  shelter  for  you,"  said  he, 
taking  one  up  under  each  arm.  "  Come,  Nanny.  Down, 
Romulus,  down,  sir,"  said  he  to  the  dog,  who  had  jumped 
up  at  the  kids.  "How  dare  you,  sir?  Down,  I  say. 
Aye !  there  you  are  down,  sure  enough."  And  so  he 
was,  for  Nanny,  not  liking  the  dog's  approach  to  her 
young  ones,  had  rushed  upon  him  and  butted  him  till  he 
tumbled  over  and  over.  Ready  walked  back  to  the  house, 
and  brought  in  the  kids,  followed  by  Nanny.  He  found 
Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave  and  the  children  all  dressed. 
Caroline  and  Tommy  gave  a  scream  of  delight  when  they 
saw  the  little  kids,  and  even  little  Albert  clapped  his 
hands.  As  soon  as  Ready  put  them  down  on  the  ground, 
Tommy  and  Caroline  had  each  of  them  their  arms  round 
one. 

"  I've  brought  an  addition  to  our  family,  Mrs  Seagrave," 
said  Ready  :  "  I  must  request  you  to  allow  them  to  remain 
in  the  house  until  I  can  knock  up  a  little  shelter  for  them. 
This  is  only  a  beginning  ;  I  expect  we  shall  soon  have 
more." 

As  soon  as  the  children  could  be  persuaded  to  part  with 
the  kids,  Nanny  was  tied  up  in  a  corner,  and  was  very 
content  with  fondling  and  nursing  her  progeny.  Juno 
and  William  brought  in  the  breakfast,  and  as  soon  as  it 


128  Masterman  Ready 

was  over,  Mr  Seagrave  said,  "Now,  Ready,  I  think  we 
must  hold  a  council,  and  make  arrangements  as  to  our 
allotted  duties  and  employments  during  the  rainy  season. 
We  have  a  great  deal  to  do,  and  must  not  be  idle." 

"  Yes,  sir,  we  have  a  great  deal  to  do,  and  to  get 
through  our  work  we  must  have  order  and  method  in  our 
doings.  I've  lived  long  enough  to  know  how  much  can 
be  done  by  regularity  and  discipline.  Why,  sir,  there  is 
more  work  got  out  of  men  in  a  well-conducted  man-of- 
war  than  there  can  in  the  merchant  service  in  double  the 
time.  And  why  so  ?  Because  everything  is  in  its  place, 
and  there  is  a  place  for  everything.  If  you  want  anything, 
you  do  not  lose  time  looking  for  it,  because  you  know 
where  to  lay  your  hand  upon  it.  Besides,  sir,  every  man 
knows  what  he  has  to  do — and  others  know  it  also." 

"I  agree  with  you,  Ready,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave; 
"  method  is  everything.  While  one  careless  little  girl  is 
looking  for  her  thimble,  another  will  have  finished  her 
work ;  and  I  promise  you  that,  inside  of  the  house,  as  soon 
as  we  have  the  shelves  and  nails  put  up,  everything  shall 
be  in  its  place,  and  there  shall  be  a  place  for  everything." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  madam,  if  I  talk  too  much  ;  but  I 
assure  you  I  never  should  have  known  what  could  have 
been  done  by  order  and  arrangement,  if  I  had  not  been 
pressed  on  board  of  a  man-of-war.  After  having  been  so 
long  in  the  merchant  service,  where  all  was  noise  and  con- 
fusion at  the  best  of  times,  I  found  that  everything  was 
done  in  silence ;  indeed  there  was  no  occasion  for  any  one 
to  speak  except  the  officer  carrying  on  duty.  Every  man 
was  to  his  post ;  every  one  had  a  rope  to  haul  upon,  or  a 
rope  to  let  go  j  the  boatswain  piped,  and  in  a  few  seconds 
every  sail  was  set  or  taken  in  as  was  required.  It  seemed 
to  me  at  first  like  magic.  And  you  observe,  Mr  Seagrave, 
that  when  there  is  order  and  discipline,  every  man  becomes 
of  individual  importance  ;  as  any  neglect  of  any  one  in  the 
duty  allotted  to  him  immediately  puts  everybody  else  out, 
and  everything  goes  wrong :  besides  the  blame  is  always 
certain  to  be  given  to  the  party  who  is  guilty.     If  I  learnt 


Masterman  Ready  129 

nothing  else  on  board  of  a  man-of-war,  I  learnt  to  make 
the  most  of  time,  and  the  most  of  the  strength  which  you 
could  command." 

"  You  are  very  right,  Ready ;  you  must  teach  us  to  do 
the  same,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave. 

"  We  have  so  much  to  do,  that  I  hardly  know  where  to 
begin ;  yet,  sir,  we  must  work  at  present  how  we  can,  and 
when  we  can,  until  we  have  got  things  into  a  little  better 
order.     We  have  done  well  up  to  the  present." 

"  What  do  you  think  we  ought  to  do  first,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Well,  sir,  our  first  job  will  be  to  haul  up  the  boat  and 
secure  her  from  harm  ;  we  will  half-dock  her  in  the  sand, 
and  cover  her  over  ;  for  I  do  not  think  it  will  be  safe  to 
go  in  her  now  to  the  other  side  of  the  island,  where  the 
sea  will  always  be  rough ;  indeed  the  weather  will  be  too 
uncertain  to  calculate  upon  even  two  or  three  hours  of 
smooth  water." 

"There  I  perfectly  agree  with  you.  Now  what  is  the 
next?" 

"  Why,  sir,  we  must  not  leave  the  tents  where  they  are, 
but  take  them  down,  and  as  soon  as  they  are  dry,  stow  them 
away,  for  we  may  want  them  by-and-bye  ;  then,  sir,  we 
must  build  a  large  outhouse  for  our  stores  and  provisions, 
with  a  thatched  roof,  and  a  floor  raised  about  four  feet  from 
the  ground  ;  and  then,  under  the  floor,  the  sheep  and  goats 
will  have  a  protection  from  the  weather.  We  can  easily 
run  that  up ;  we  must  cover  in  three  sides,  and  that  we 
can  do  with  cocoa-nut  boughs  in  a  very  short  time.  Then, 
sir,  there  is  the  fish-pond  to  make,  and  also  a  salt-pan  to 
cut  out  of  the  rock  ;  but  those  we  must  do  when  we  have 
no  other  work.  Then  we  have  two  more  long  jobs.  One 
is,  to  go  through  the  woods  and  examine  the  stores  we 
have  left  on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  sort  and  arrange 
them  all  ready  for  bringing  here  after  the  rains  are  over  ; 
and  we  must  also  explore  the  island  a  little,  sir,  and  find 
out  what  it  produces  ;  for  you  see,  sir,  at  present  we  know 
nothing  of  it  :  we  may  find  a  great  many  things  useful  to 
us,  a  great  many  trees  and  fruits,  and  I  hope  and  trust  we 

R  I 


130  Masterman  Ready- 

may  be  able  to  find  some  more  grass  for  our  live  stock ; 
for  you  see,  sir,  if  it  is  to  increase  so  as  to  be  useful  to  us, 
we  shall  not  have  food  for  them  here ;  especially  if  we 
want  more  land  for  our  seeds,  which  we  probably  shall." 

"  I  agree  with  you  in  all  you  say,  Ready,"  replied  Mr 
Seagrave  ;  "  now,  how  shall  we  divide  our  strength  ?  " 

"  We  will  not  divide  at  present,  sir,  if  you  please. 
Juno  has  plenty  to  do  indoors  with  Mrs  Seagrave ;  Master 
William,  and  you,  and  I,  will  first  secure  the  boat  and  stow 
away  the  tents  and  gear ;  after  that,  we  will  set  about  the 
outbuilding,  and  work  at  it  when  we  can.  If  Juno  has 
any  time  to  spare,  she  had  better  collect  the  cocoa-nut 
leaves,  and  pile  them  up  for  fuel  j  and  Master  Tommy  will, 
I  dare  say,  go  with  her,  and  show  her  how  to  draw  them 
along." 

"  Yes,  I'll  show  her,"  said  Tommy,  getting  on  his 
feet. 

"  Not  just  now,  Master  Tommy,"  said  Ready,  "  but  as 
soon  as  your  mamma  can  spare  her  to  go  with  you.  Come, 
sir,  a  few  hours  of  weather  like  this  is  not  to  be  lost," 
continued  Ready  5  "we  shall  have  more  rain  before  the 
day  is  over,  I  expect.  If  you  please,  sir,  I  will  first  go  to 
the  tent  for  the  shovels,  and  take  them  down  with  me  ; 
then  I  will  haul  the  boat  round  to  the  beach  and  meet  you 
there.  You  and  Master  William  can  take  some  cord,  tie 
up  a  large  bundle  of  cocoa-nut  boughs,  sling  it  to  the 
wheels,  and  draw  it  down  to  the  beach  and  meet  me." 

"  That  will  do,  Ready,"  said  Mr  Seagrave.  "  Come, 
William." 


Chapter  XXXI 

As  so  many  cocoa-nut  trees  had  been  cut  down  to  build 
the  house,  there  were  plenty  of  boughs  lying  in  every 
direction,  and  William  and  Mr  Seagrave  had  soon  procured 
sufficient.  They  found,  on  their  arrival  at  the  beach,  that 
Ready  had  brought  round  the  boat,  and  had  laid  the  rollers 


Masterman  Ready  131 

all  ready  for  hauling  it  up.  In  a  very  short  time  the  boat 
was  drawn  up  about  ten  yards  from  the  water's  edge, 
which  Ready  said  was  quite  sufficient ;  they  then  dug 
from  under  with  their  shovels  until  the  boat  was  sunk 
about  half  down  in  the  sand. 

Having  filled  in  the  sand  all  round  her  up  to  her  gunnel, 
the  boat  was  then  carefully  covered  over  with  the  boughs, 
which  were  weighed  down  with  sand  that  they  might  not 
be  blown  away. 

"  I  don't  see  why  you  should  cover  the  boat  up  in  this 
way,  Ready ;  the  rain  won't  hurt  her,"  observed  William. 

"No,  sir,  the  rain  won't  do  her  any  harm,  but  the  sun 
will,  when  it  bursts  out  occasionally ;  for  it's  very  power- 
ful when  it  does  shine,  and  it  would  split  her  all  to 
pieces." 

"  I  forgot  that,"  replied  William.  "  What  shall  we  do 
now,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Suppose,  as  we  have  two  hours  to  dinner-time,  you 
run  for  the  lines,  Master  William,  and  we'll  try  for  some 
fish." 

"We  cannot  all  three  of  us  fish  with  only  two  lines," 
said  Mr  Seagrave. 

"  No,  sir ;  and  as  Master  William  knows  how  to  catch 
them,  suppose  you  remain  with  him,  and  I  will  go  up  and 
collect  wood  and  chips  for  Juno's  fire.  She  was  hard 
pressed  for  it  this  morning,  it  was  so  wet ;  but,  if  once 
piled  up,  it  will  soon  be  dry.  Be  careful,  Mr  Seagrave, 
if  you  please,  and  do  not  hold  the  lines  tight  in  your 
hands,  or  you  may  be  jerked  into  the  water.  I've  cautioned 
Master  William,  but  it  may  be  as  well  for  you  to  caution 
him  again,  for  he  is  young  and  very  eager." 

Ready  met  William  returning  with  the  lines,  and  thought 
it  right  to  remind  him  of  the  danger  he  ran  when  he  was 
fishing  the  last  time,  and  then  went  on  to  his  work, 
dragging  after  him  the  wheels  and  the  axe,  as  they  were 
no  longer  required  at  the  beach. 

Mr  Seagrave  and  William  were  very  fortunate  5  before 
the  two  hours  were  expired  they  had  caught  eight  large 


132  Masterman  Ready- 

fish,  which  they  brought  up  to  the  house  slung  on  the 
boat-hook,  which  Ready  had  advised  them  to  take  with 
them  to  haul  the  fish  out  of  the  water,  that  they  might  not 
break  their  lines.  Tommy  hallooed  loudly  for  fish  for 
dinner,  and  as  they  had  caught  so  many,  it  was  agreed 
that  the  dinner  should  be  put  off  until  some  should  be  got 
ready,  and  they  were  not  sorry  to  eat  them  instead  of  the 
salt  pork  which  was  to  have  been  their  only  fare  on  that 
day. 

They  had  hardly  sat  down  to  table,  when  the  rain  came 
pattering  down  on  the  roof,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
the  storm  was  as  violent,  and  the  thunder  and  lightning  as 
terrific  as  on  the  day  before.  All  the  out-door  labour  was 
again  suspended.  Mrs  Seagrave,  Juno,  and  Caroline,  took 
their  work,  for  there  was  plenty  to  do  with  the  needle  and 
thread,  and  Ready  soon  found  employment  for  the  rest. 
William  and  Mr  Seagrave  unlaid  some  thick  rope,  that 
Ready  might  make  smaller  and  more  useful  rope  with  the 
yarns.  Ready  took  up  his  sailing  needles,  and  worked 
eyelet  holes  in  the  canvas  screens  (which  they  had  put  up 
in  a  hurry),  so  that  they  might  be  drawn  to  and  fro  as 
required  ;  and  Tommy  was  given  a  tangled  hank  of  twine 
to  clear  out,  which,  as  he  was  tired  of  doing  nothing,  he 
worked  at  very  patiently.  As  soon  as  Ready  had  hung  up 
the  curtains,  he  looked  under  the  bedsteads  for  a  large 
bundle,  and  said,  as  he  opened  it,  "  I  shall  now  decorate 
Madam  Seagrave' s  sleeping  place.  It  ought  to  be  hand- 
somer than  the  others."  The  bundle  was  composed  of  the 
ship's  ensign,  which  was  red,  and  a  large,  square,  yellow 
flag,  with  the  name  of  the  ship  Pacific  in  large  black  letters 
upon  it.  These  two  flags  Ready  festooned  and  tied  up 
round  the  bed-place,  so  as  to  give  it  a  very  gay  appearance, 
and  also  to  hide  the  rough  walls  of  the  cottage. 

"  Indeed,  Ready,  I  am  much  obliged  to  you,"  said  Mrs 
Seagrave,  when  he  had  finished  ;  "  it  is  really  quite  grand 
for  this  place." 

"  It's  the  best  use  we  can  put  them  to  now,  madam," 
said  Ready. 


Masterman  Ready  133 

"  I  am  afraid  so,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  thoughtfully. 

"Ready,"  said  William,  after  the  candles  were  lighted, 
"  you  once  half-promised  me  that  you  would  tell  me  your 
history ;  I  wish  you  would  tell  us  some  of  it  now,  as  it 
will  pass  away  the  evening." 

"  Well,  Master  William,  I  did  say  so,  and  I  shall  keep 
my  word.  When  you  have  heard  my  story,  you  will  say 
that  I  have  been  very  foolish  in  my  time ;  and  so  I  have ; 
but  if  it  proves  a  warning  to  you,  it  will,  at  all  events,  be 
of  some  use." 

"We  shall  like  to  hear  it  very  much,"  said  Mrs  Sea- 
grave. 

"Well,  madam,  then  you  shall  hear  itj"  and  Ready 
then  commenced  his  history  as  follows : 


History  of  Old  Ready, 

"  Of  course,  you  wish  to  know  who  my  father  and 
mother  were :  that  is  soon  told.  My  father  was  the 
captain  of  a  merchant  vessel,  which  traded  from  South 
Shields  to  Hamburgh,  and  my  poor  mother,  God  bless  her, 
was  the  daughter  of  a  half-pay  militia  captain,  who  died 
about  two  months  after  their  marriage.  The  property 
which  the  old  gentleman  had  bequeathed  to  my  mother 
was  added  to  that  which  my  father  had  already  vested  in 
the  brig,  and  he  then  owned  one-third  of  the  vessel ;  the 
other  two-thirds  were  the  property  of  a  very  rich  ship- 
builder and  owner,  of  the  name  of  Masterman.  What  with 
the  profits  of  the  share  he  held  of  the  vessel  and  his  pay 
as  captain,  my  father  was  well  to  do.  Mr  Masterman,  who 
had  a  very  high  opinion  of  my  father,  and  gained  much 
money  by  his  exertions  and  good  management,  was  present 
at  the  marriage,  and  when  I  was  born,  about  a  year  after- 
wards, he  stood  for  me  as  godfather.  Everyone  considered 
that  this  was  a  most  advantageous  circumstance  for  me, 
and  congratulated  my  father  and  mother,  for  Mr  Master- 
man  was  a  bachelor,  of  nearly  sixty    years,  without  any 


134  Masterman  Ready 

near  relations.  It  is  true,  that  he  was  very  fond  of  money ; 
but  that  they  said  was  all  the  better,  as  he  could  not  take 
it  away  with  him  when  he  died.  An  end,  however,  was 
soon  put  to  all  their  worldly  ideas,  for  a  year  after  I  was 
born,  my  father  was  drowned  at  sea,  his  vessel  and  the 
whole  of  her  crew  being  lost  on  the  Texel  sands  ;  and  my 
mother  found  herself  a  widow,  with  a  child  scarcely 
weaned,  when  she  was  but  twenty-two  years  of  age. 

"  It  was  supposed  that  my  mother  would  still  have 
sufficient  to  live  upon,  as  the  ship  had  been  insured  at  two- 
thirds  of  her  value ;  but,  to  the  astonishment  of  everybody, 
Mr  Masterman  contrived  to  make  it  appear  that  it  was 
his  two-thirds  of  the  vessel  which  had  been  insured." 

"  What  is  insurance  ? "  inquired  William. 

"  Insurance,  my  dear  boy,  is  paying  a  certain  sum  to 
people  who  are  called  underwriters,  that  in  case  the  vessel 
or  cargo  is  lost  or  damaged,  the  loss  or  damage  is  made 
good  to  the  owners  of  the  vessel  or  cargo.  You  pay 
in  proportion  to  the  risk  incurred.  For  instance,  in  war 
time  you  pay  ten  per  cent. — that  is,  ten  pounds  for  every 
hundred  pounds  you  insure.  Supposing  you  wished  to 
insure  one  thousand  pounds  on  a  vessel  or  cargo,  and  ten 
per  cent,  was  required,  you  would,  if  the  vessel  came 
home  safe,  pay  the  underwriters  one  hundred  pounds  ;  if, 
on  the  contrary,  the  vessel  was  lost,  the  underwriters 
would  have  to  pay  you  one  thousand  pounds,  the  sum 
which  you  had  insured.     Do  you  understand  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  I  understand,  papa.  But  I  do  not  understand 
how  an  underwriter  can  make  money  by  it ;  for  many 
vessels  are  lost  or  taken  during  a  war,  and  then  he  has 
such  large  sums  to  pay." 

"  You  must  recollect,  that  for  one  that  is  taken  or  lost, 
there  are  fifty  or  more  which  arrive  safe  ;  and  as  the  under- 
writers are  paid  for  all  those  that  arrive  safe,  the  business 
is  profitable  ;  indeed  it  must  be  so,  or  there  would  not  be 
so  many  underwriters  and  insurance  companies.  I  beg 
your  pardon  for  the  interruption,  Ready." 

"  No   need,    Mr   Seagrave ;    we  never  should  lose  aa 


Masterman  Ready  135 

opportunity  of  teaching  the  young ;  indeed  you  have 
taught  the  old  as  well  this  time,  for  I  was  not  so  clear  of 
the  matter  before  as  I  am  now.  Well,  sir  ;  how  far  the 
assertion  of  Mr  Masterman  was  correct  or  not,  it  was 
impossible  at  the  time  to  say ;  but  I  do  know  that  every- 
body cried  out  shame,  and  that  if  he  did  deprive  the  widow, 
he  had  much  to  answer  for  ;  for  the  Bible  says,  '  pure 
religion  is  to  visit  the  fatherless  and  the  widows,  in  their 
affliction '  (of  course,  Master  William,  with  a  view  of 
assisting  them),  '  and  to  keep  yourself  unspotted  in  the 
world.'  The  consequence  was,  that  my  mother  had  little 
or  nothing  to  live  upon ;  but  she  found  friends  who 
assisted  her,  and  she  worked  embroidery,  and  contrived  to 
get  on  somehow  until  I  was  eight  or  nine  years  of  age." 

"But  did  not  your  godfather,  Mr  Masterman,  come 
forward  to  the  assistance  of  your  mother  ?  "  inquired  Mr 
Seagrave. 

"  No,  sir,  strange  to  say,  he  did  not ;  and  that  made 
people  talk  the  more.  I  believe  it  was  the  abuse  of  him, 
which  he  did  not  fail  to  hear,  and  which  he  ascribed  to  my 
mother,  which  turned  him  away  from  us  ;  perhaps  it  was 
his  own  conscience,  for  we  always  dislike  those  we  have 
injured,  becoming  vexed  with  them  instead  of  being  vexed 
with  ourselves." 

"  Unfortunately,  there  is  great  truth  in  that  remark  of 
yours,  Ready,"  observed  Mr  Seagrave  5  "  still,  it  is  strange 
that  he  did  not  do  something." 

"  It  was  very  strange,  sir — at  least,  so  it  appeared  at  the 
time  ;  but  he  was  very  fond  of  money,  and  irritated  at  the 
reports  and  observations  which  were  made  about  him. 
But,  to  go  on,  sir,  I  was  a  strong,  active,  hardy  boy,  and, 
whenever  I  could  escape  from  my  mother  or  school,  was 
always  found  by  the  water  side  or  on  board  of  the  vessels  ; 
for  I  took  naturally  to  everything  connected  with  the  sea. 
In  the  summer  time  I  was  half  the  day  in  water,  and  was  a 
very  good  swimmer.  My  mother  perceived  my  fondness 
for  the  profession,  and  tried  all  she  could  to  divert  my 
thoughts  some  other  way.     She  told  me  of  the  dangers 


136  Masterman  Ready 

and  hardships  which    sailors  went   through,   and   always 
ended  with  my  father's  death  and  a  flood  of  tears. 

"  We  certainly  are  of  a  perverse  nature,  as  I  have 
often  heard  the  clergyman  say,  for  it  appears  to  me 
that  we  always  wish  to  do  that  which  we  are  told 
not  to  do.  If  my  mother  had  not  been  always  persuad- 
ing me  against  going  to  sea,  I  really  believe  I  might 
have  stayed  at  home.  Mine  was  a  proud  nature  when  I 
was  a  child.  I  suppose  I  got  it  from  my  father,  for  my 
mother,  poor  thing,  was  humble  enough.  I  could  not 
bear  that  any  boy  should  do  what  I  could  not ;  and  I  often 
ventured  so  rashly,  that  I  might  do  more  than  other  boys 
dared  to  do,  that  it  was  a  wonder,  as  everyone  then  said, 
that  I  had  not  lost  my  life  a  hundred  times  ;  and  my  poor 
mother  was  continually  hearing  of  some  danger  that  I  was 
in,  and  she  would  first  scold  and  then  entreat  me  not  to  be 
so  venturesome,  and  then  she  would  go  into  her  room  and 
weep  and  pray,  for  I  was  her  only  hope  and  comfort,  and 
all  that  bound  her  to  the  world.  I've  often  thought  since, 
how  selfish  and  unfeeling  I  must  have  been.  I  was  too 
young  to  know  what  pain  I  was  giving  her,  and  how 
anxiety  was  preying  upon  her,  all  on  my  account. 
Children  cannot  feel  it ;  if  they  did,  they  would  do 
otherwise,  for  our  hearts  are  seldom  hard  until  we  grow 
older." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  Ready,"  said  Mr  Seagrave.  "  If 
children  really  knew  how  much  their  parents  suffer  when 
they  behave  ill,  how  alarmed  they  are  at  any  proofs  of 
wickedness  in  them,  they  would  be  much  better." 

"  We  never  find  that  out,  sir,  till  it  is  too  late,"  con- 
tinued Ready.  "  Well,  sir,  I  was  little  more  than  nine 
years  old,  when,  on  a  very  windy  day,  and  the  water 
rough,  a  hawser,  by  which  a  vessel  was  fast  to  the  wharf, 
was  carried  away  with  a  violent  jerk,  and  the  broken  part, 
as  it  flew  out,  struck  a  person  who  was  at  the  edge  of 
the  wharf,  and  knocked  him  into  the  sea.  I  heard  him 
crying  out,  and  the  men  from  the  wharf  and  from  the 
ships  were  throwing  ropes  to  him,  but  he  could  not  catch 


Masterman  Ready  137 

hold  of  them  ;  indeed,  he  could  not  swim  well,  and  the 
water  was  rough.  I  caught  a  rope  that  had  been  hauled 
in  again,  and  leapt  off  the  wharf. 

"  Young  as  I  was,  I  swam  like  a  duck,  and  put  the  rope 
into  his  hands  just  as  he  was  going  down.  He  clung  to  it 
as  drowning  men  only  can  cling,  and  was  hauled  to  the 
piles,  and  soon  afterwards  a  boat,  which  had  been  lowered 
from  the  stern  of  one  of  the  vessels,  picked  us  both  up. 
We  were  taken  to  a  public-house  and  put  into  bed  till  dry 
clothes  could  be  sent  for  us  ;  and  then  I  found  that  the 
person  I  had  saved  was  my  godfather,  Mr  Masterman. 
Everyone  was  loud  in  my  praise  ;  and,  although  perhaps 
I  ought  not  to  say  it  (and,  indeed,  I  do  not  say  it  out  of 
vanity),  it  was  a  bold  act  for  so  young  a  boy  as  I  was. 
The  sailors  took  me  home  to  my  mother  in  a  sort  of 
triumphant  procession  ;  and  she,  poor  thing,  when  she 
heard  what  I  had  done,  embraced  me  over  and  over  again, 
one  moment  rejoicing  at  my  preservation,  and  the  next 
weeping  bitterly  at  the  thoughts  of  the  danger  I  had 
encountered,  and  the  probability  that  my  bold  spirit  would 
lead  me  into  still  greater." 

"  But  she  did  not  blame  you  for  what  you  had  done  ? " 
"  O  no,  Master  William ;  she  felt  that  I  had  done  my 
duty  towards  my  neighbour,  and  perhaps  she  felt  in  her 
own  heart  that  I  had  returned  good  for  evil ;  but  she  did 
not  say  so.  The  next  day,  Mr  Masterman  called  upon 
us  ;  he  certainly  looked  very  foolish  and  confused  when 
he  asked  for  his  godson,  whom  he  had  so  long  neglected. 
My  mother,  who  felt  how  useful  he  might  be  to  me, 
received  him  very  kindly ;  but  I  had  been  often  told  of  his 
neglect  of  me  and  my  mother,  and  of  his  supposed  unfair 
conduct  towards  my  father,  and  had  taken  a  violent  dislike 
to  him ;  his  advances  towards  me  were  therefore  very 
coolly  received.  I  felt  glad  that  I  had  saved  him  ;  but 
although  I  could  not  exactly  understand  my  own  feelings 
at  the  time,  I  am  ashamed  to  say  that  my  pleasure  was 
not  derived  from  having  done  a  good  action,  so  much  as 
indulging  a  feeling  of  revenge  in  having  put  one  under  an 


138  Masterman  Ready 

obligation  who  had  treated  me  ill :  this  arose  from  my 
proud  spirit,  which  my  mother  could  not  check.  So  you 
see,  Master  William,  there  was  very  little  merit  in  what  I 
had  done,  as,  after  I  had  done  it,  I  indulged  those  feelings 
which  I  ought  to  have  checked." 

"I  think  I  could  not  have  helped  feeling  the  same, 
Ready,  under  such  circumstances,"  replied  William. 

"  If  I  had  felt  it  in  a  true  Christian  spirit,  Master 
William,  it  would  have  been  different.  Returning  good 
for  evil  is  the  great  duty  of  a  Christian,  and  had  I  saved 
Mr  Masterman,  knowing  that  I  was  saving  him  with  that 
feeling  in  my  heart,  it  had  been  praiseworthy ;  but  I  did 
not  know  that  it  was  he  when  I  saved  him ;  and  the 
question  is,  had  I  known  who  it  was  that  was  struggling 
in  the  water,  should  I  have  risked  my  life  for  him  ?  or,  if 
I  had  done  so,  would  it  not  have  been  with  the  same 
feeling  which  I  indulged  in  after  having  saved  him — a 
feeling  that  I  had  revenged  myself  on  him  for  his  conduct, 
for  there  is  no  revenge  greater  than  in  putting  an  enemy 
under  an  obligation  ?  " 

"  You  analyse  yourself  very  minutely,  Ready,"  said  Mr 
Seagrave,  "  and  I  think  hardly  do  justice  to  yourself." 

"  The  heart  is  deceitful  and  desperately  wicked,  sir," 
replied  Ready.  "  The  impulse  which  induced  me  to  act 
was  good ;  the  feeling  which  I  indulged  in  afterwards 
took  away  the  whole  merit  of  the  deed.  I  am  stating 
what  I  believe  to  be  the  truth,  sir ;  and  an  old  man  like 
me  can  look  upon  the  past  without  bias,  but  not  without 
regret ;  well,  sir,  to  go  on  with  my  story.  Mr  Master- 
man  made  but  a  short  visit ;  he  told  my  mother  that  he 
would  now  take  care  of  me,  and  bring  me  up  to  the 
business  of  a  ship-builder  as  soon  as  I  was  old  enough  to 
leave  school,  and  that  in  the  meantime  he  would  pay  all 
my  expenses.  My  poor  mother  was  very  grateful,  and 
shed  tears  of  joy  ;  and  when  Mr  Masterman  went  away, 
she  embraced  me,  and  said,  that  now  she  was  happy,  as  I 
should  have  a  profession  on  shore  and  not  go  to  sea.  I 
must  do  justice  to  Mr  Masterman  •,  he  kept  his  word,  and 


Masterman  Ready  139 

sent  money  to  my  mother,  so  that  she  became  quite 
cheerful  and  comfortable,  and  every  one  congratulated  her, 
and  she  used  to  fondle  me,  and  say,  it  was  all  through  me 
that  she  was  relieved  from  her  distress." 

"How  happy  that  must  have  made  you,  Ready,"  said 
William. 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  did,  but  it  made  me  also  very  proud ; 
strange  to  say,  I  could  not  conquer  my  dislike  to  Mr 
Masterman ;  I  had  nourished  the  feeling  too  long.  I 
could  not  bear  that  my  mother  should  be  under  obligations 
to  him,  or  that  he  should  pay  for  my  schooling ;  it  hurt 
my  foolish  pride,  young  as  I  then  was ;  and  although  my 
mother  was  happy,  I  was  not.  Besides,  as  I  was  put  to  a 
better  school,  and  was  obliged  to  remain  with  the  other 
boys,  I  could  no  longer  run  about  the  wharfs,  or  go  on 
board  the  vessels,  as  before  ;  and  thus  I  was  deprived  of 
all  my  former  enjoyments.  I  did  not  see  then,  as  I  do 
now,  that  it  was  all  for  my  good  j  but  I  became  discon- 
tented and  unhappy,  merely  because  I  was  obliged  to  pay 
attention  to  my  learning,  and  could  no  longer  have  my 
own  way.  The  master  complained  of  me ;  and  Mr 
Masterman  called  and  scolded  me  well.  I  became  more 
disobedient,  and  then,  by  Mr  Masterman's  desire,  I  was 
punished.  This  irritated  me  against  him,  and  I  made  up 
my  mind  that  I  would  run  away  and  go  to  sea.  You  see, 
Master  William,  I  was  all  in  the  wrong  ;  and  so  will  all 
boys  be  who  are  proud,  and  think  they  know  better  than 
those  who  have  charge  of  them ;  and  now  only  see, 
Master  William,  what  I  probably  lost  by  my  foolish 
conduct.  I  say  probably,  for  no  one  can  calculate  or 
foresee  what  is  to  take  place ;  but,  as  far  as  appearances 
went,  I  had  every  prospect  of  receiving  a  good  education 
— of  succeeding  Mr  Masterman  in  his  business,  and, 
very  probably,  of  inheriting  his  large  fortune;  so  that 
I  might  have  been  at  this  time  a  rich  and  well-educated 
man,  surrounded  with  all  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of 
life ;  perhaps,  with  an  amiable  wife  and  large  family  round 
me,  to  make  me  still  happier,  instead  of  being  what  I  now 


140  Masterman  Ready 

am,  a  poor,  worn-out  old  seaman  upon  a  desert  isle.  I 
point  this  out  to  you,  Master  William,  to  show  how  one 
false  and  foolish  step  in  the  young  may  affect  their  whole 
prospects  in  life ;  and,  instead  of  enabling  them  to  sail 
down  with  the  stream  of  prosperity,  may  leave  them  to 
struggle  against  the  current  of  adversity,  as  has  been  the 
case  with  me." 

"  It  is,  indeed,  a  good  lesson,  Ready,"  said  Mr  Seagrave. 

"It  is ;  not  that  I  repine  at  my  lot,  even  while  I  regret 
the  errors  that  led  to  it.  I  am  not  discontented  with  my 
position,  for  that  were  sinful.  An  allwise  and  gracious 
God  disposes  of  us  as  he  thinks  best ;  and  I  can  now  say 
with  perfect  sincerity,  Thy  will,  not  mine,  be  done." 

"  Your  misfortunes  have,  however,  proved  an  incalcul- 
able benefit  to  us,  Ready,"  observed  Mrs  Seagrave;  "for 
had  you  not  gone  to  sea,  and  been  on  board  of  the  ship 
when  the  crew  deserted  us,  what  would  have  become 
of  us  ? " 

"  Well,  madam,  it  is  some  comfort  to  think  that  a  worn- 
out  old  seaman  like  myself  has  been  of  some  use  ;  perhaps, 
madam,  as  it  is  our  usual  time  to  go  to  bed,  I  had  better 
leave  off  now,  and  tell  some  more  of  my  history  to-morrow 
evening." 

"  If  you  please,  Ready,"  said  Mr  Seagrave.  "  William, 
my  dear,  bring  the  Bible." 

As  soon  as  the  evening  prayers  were  finished,  the  screens 
were  put  up,  and  they  were  soon  all  in  bed  and  fast 
asleep. 


Chapter  XXXII 

The  bleating  of  the  kids  woke  them  the  next  morning 
earlier  than  usual.  The  weather  was  again  fine,  and  the 
sun  shining  brightly,  and  Ready  turned  out  Nanny  and  her 
progeny.  They  had  an  excellent  breakfast  of  fried  fish, 
and  then  Mr  Seagrave,  Ready,  and  William,  went  out  to 
their  work  :  the  two  first  took  down  the  tents,  and  spread 


Masterman  Ready  141 

the  canvas  on  the  ground,  that  it  might  be  well  dried, 
while  William  went  in  pursuit  of  the  fowls,  which  had  not 
been  seen  for  a  day  or  two.  After  half  an  hour's  search 
in  the  cocoa-nut  grove,  he  heard  the  cock  crow,  and  soon 
afterwards  found  them  all.  He  threw  them  some  split 
peas,  which  he  had  brought  with  him,  for  the  barley  and 
wheat  they  had  resolved  to  save,  that  they  might  sow 
them  as  soon  as  they  had  more  ground  cleared ;  and  then, 
if  flour  should  run  short,  they  had  several  casks  of  it  on 
the  other  side  of  the  island,  which  they  had  saved  when 
the  ship  had  been  broken  up,  and  were  therefore  in  no 
immediate  want.  The  fowls,  which  were  hungry  enough, 
followed  William  home  to  the  house,  where  he  left  them 
and  went  to  join  Ready  and  his  father. 

"  Then,  Master  William,  I  think,  now  that  we  have 
spread  out  the  tents,  we  will,  if  Mr  Seagrave  approves 
of  it,  all  set  to  at  once  and  knock  up  a  fowl-house  :  it 
won't  be  more  than  a  day's  job,  and  then  the  creatures  will 
have  a  home.  There  are  four  very  thick  cocoa-nut  trees 
close  to  the  house  ;  we  will  build  it  under  them  ;  it  will 
be  a  good  job  over."  Mr  Seagrave  assented,  and  they  set 
immediately  to  work.  There  were  many  thin  poles  left, 
the  tops  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees  which  had  been  cut  down 
to  build  the  house ;  these  they  nailed  to  the  trunks  of  the 
four  trees,  so  as  to  make  a  square,  and  then  they  ran  up 
rafters  for  a  pitched  roof. 

"Now,  sir,  this  Is  only  rough  work;  we  will  first  put 
up  a  perch  or  two  for  them,  and  then  close  in  the  side, 
and  thatch  the  roof  with  cocoa-nut  branches ;  but  there's 
Juno  taking  in  the  dinner,  so  we'll  finish  it  afterwards." 

After  their  meal  the  work  was  renewed  ;  Mr  Seagrave 
collected  the  branches  while  William  and  Ready  worked 
upon  the  sides  and  roof,  and  before  the  evening  closed 
in,  the  fowl-house  was  complete.  William  enticed  the 
fowls  down  to  it  with  some  more  split  peas,  and  then 
walked  away. 

"  Now,  sir,  the  creatures  will  soon  find  their  way  in ; 
and  by-and-bye,  when  I  have  time,  I'll  make  a  door  to 


142  Masterman  Ready 

the  entrance.  I  think  Miss  Caroline  might  be  put  into 
authority  here,  and  take  care  of  the  fowls  and  chickens 
when  they  come." 

"  Yes,  that  shall  be  her  charge,"  said  William  ;  "  she'll 
be  delighted  when  she  hears  that  she's  to  be  mistress 
of  the  hen-roosts.  And  now  I  think  we  had  better  roll 
up  the  canvas  of  the  tents  ;  we  have  had  a  splendid  day, 
and  may  not  be  so  fortunate  to-morrow." 

"Very  true,  sir;  we  will  get  them  housed,  and  stow 
them  away  under  the  bed-places  ;  there  is  plenty  of  room." 
By  the  time  that  they  had  folded  up  the  canvas,  and 
William  had  brought  in  Nanny  and  the  kids,  the  sun 
had  set,  and  they  went  into  the  house.  Ready  was 
requested  to  go  on  with  his  history,  which  he  did  as 
follows  : — 

"  I  said  last  night  that  I  determined  to  run  away  from 
school,  and  go  to  sea  ;  but  I  did  not  tell  you  how  I 
managed  it.  I  had  no  chance  of  getting  out  of  the  school 
unperceived,  except  after  the  boys  were  all  put  to  bed. 
The  room  that  I  slept  in  was  at  the  top  of  the  house — the 
doors  I  knew  were  all  locked ;  but  there  was  a  trap-door 
which  led  out  on  the  roof,  fastened  by  a  bolt  inside,  and 
a  ladder  leading  up  to  it ;  and  I  determined  that  I  would 
make  my  escape  by  that  way.  As  soon  as  all  the  other 
boys  were  fast  asleep,  I  arose  and  dressed  myself  very 
quietly,  and  then  left  the  room. 

"  The  moon  shone  bright,  which  was  lucky  for  me,  and 
I  gained  the  trap-door  without  any  noise.  I  had  some 
difficulty  in  forcing  it  up,  as  it  was  heavy  for  a  boy  of  my 
age  ;  but  I  contrived  to  do  so  at  last,  and  gained  the  roof 
of  the  house.  I  looked  round  as  I  stood  in  the  gutter 
— there  were  the  ships  in  the  port,  and  the  sea  in  the 
distance,  and  I  felt  as  if  I  was  already  free  :  I  forgot  that 
I  had  to  get  down  to  the  ground.  At  last  I  began  looking 
about  me,  to  see  how  it  was  to  be  done,  and  after  walking 
to  and  fro  several  times,  I  decided  that  I  could  slip  down 
by  a  large  water-pipe  which  went  right  down  to  the 
ground  5   it  was  so  far  detached  from  the  bricks,  that  I 


Masterman  Ready  143 

could  get  my  small  fingers  round  it ;  and  I  was  then  as 
light  as  a  feather,  and  active  as  a  cat.  I  climbed  over  the 
parapet,  and,  clinging  to  the  pipe  firmly  with  my  hands 
and  knees,  I  slid  down,  and  arrived  at  the  bottom  in 
safety." 

"  It's  a  wonder  you  did  not  break  your  neck,  Ready," 
observed  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  It  was,  indeed,  ma'am  ;  I  often  think  of  it  now — but  I 
thought  of  nothing  then  except  my  own  wilful  way.  As 
soon  as  I  was  landed  in  the  flower-bed,  which  was  below, 
I  hastened  to  the  iron  gates  at  the  entrance,  and  soon 
climbed  up  and  got  to  the  other  side  into  the  road.  I  had 
no  hat,  for  all  our  hats  were  hung  on  pegs  in  the  school- 
room below  ;  but  I  didn't  care  for  that.  I  started  as  fast 
as  I  could  towards  the  port,  and  when  I  arrived  at  the 
wharf,  I  perceived  that  a  vessel  had  her  topsails  loose,  and 
meant  to  take  advantage  of  the  ebb-tide  which  had  just 
made  ;  the  men  were  singing  *  Yo  heave  yo,'  getting  the 
anchor  up  ;  and  as  I  stood  watching,  almost  making  up 
my  mind  that  I  would  swim  off  to  her,  I  perceived  that 
a  man  pushed  off  in  her  jolly-boat,  and  was  sculling  to 
a  post  a  little  higher  up,  where  a  hawser  had  been  made 
fast ;  I  ran  round,  and  arrived  there  before  he  had  cast 
off  the  rope  ;  without  saying  a  word,  I  jumped  into  the 
boat. 

Si  *  What  do  you  want,  youngster  ? '  said  the  seaman. 

"  *  I  want  to  go  to  sea,'  said  I,  breathless  ;  '  take  me  on 
board — pray  do.' 

"  '  Well,'  said  he,  '  I  heard  the  captain  say  he  wanted 
an  apprentice,  and  so  you  may  come.' 

"  He  sculled  the  boat  back  again  to  the  vessel,  and  I 
climbed  up  her  side. 

"  *  Who  are  you  ? '  said  the  captain. 

"  I  told  him  the  same  story,  that  I  wanted  to  go  to 
sea. 

"  *  You  are  too  little  and  too  young.' 

"  '  No,  I  am  not,'  replied  I. 

"  *  Why,  do  you  think  that  you  dare  go  aloft  ? ' 


144  Masterman  Ready 

"  '  I'll  show  you,'  replied  I,  and  I  ran  up  the  rigging 
like  a  cat,  and  went  out  at  the  top-gallant  yard-arm. 

"When  I  came  down  the  captain  said,  'Well,  I  think 
you'll  make  a  sharp  seaman  by-and-bye  ;  so  I'll  take  you, 
and,  as  soon  as  I  get  to  London,  I'll  bind  you  apprentice. 
Where's  your  hat  ? ' 

"  '  I  left  it  behind  me,'  replied  I. 

"  '  Never  mind  ;  a  red  nightcap  is  a  better  thing,'  said 
the  captain,  and  he  went  down  to  the  cabin,  and  brought 
me  one  up. 

"  The  ship,  which  was  a  collier,  was  soon  out  of  port, 
and  before  the  day  had  dawned  I  found  myself  on  the  wide 
ocean,  which  was  hereafter  to  be  my  home. 

"  As  soon  as  the  hurry  and  confusion  were  over,  I  was 
examined  by  the  captain,  who  appeared  to  me  to  be  a  very 
rough,  harsh  man ;  indeed,  before  the  day  was  over  I 
almost  repented  of  the  step  which  I  had  taken,  and  when 
I  sat  down  cold  and  wet  upon  some  old  sails  at  night,  the 
thoughts  of  my  mother,  and  what  distress  I  should  occasion 
her,  for  the  first  time  rushed  into  my  mind,  and  I  wept 
bitterly ;  but  it  was  too  late  then.  I  have  often  thought, 
Mr  Seagrave,  that  the  life  of  hardship  which  I  have  since 
gone  through  has  been  a  judgment  on  me  for  my  cruelty 
to  my  mother,  in  leaving  her  the  way  I  did.  I  was  her 
only  child,  poor  woman  j  she  had  nothing  else  to  love  but 
me,  and  it  broke  her  heart ;  a  poor  return,  Master 
William,  for  all  her  care  and  kindness  !  God  forgive 
me!" 

Old  Ready  left  off  for  some  little  time,  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  party  kept  silence.  William,  who  sat 
next  to  his  mother,  turned  round  to  her,  and  kissed  her. 

"I  like  to  see  you  do  that,  Master  William,"  said 
Ready;  "it  tells  me  that  my  story  is  not  thrown  away 
upon  you,  and  I  look  upon  that  kiss  as  a  seal  that  you'll 
never  desert  your  parent."  The  tear  trickled  down  Mrs 
Seagrave's  cheek,  as  she  returned  her  boy's  embrace. 

"  I'll  leave  off  now,  if  you  please,"  said  Ready  :  "  I 
don't  feel  inclined  to  go  on  j  my  heart  is  full  when  I  recall 


Masterman  Ready  145 

that  foolish  and  wicked  deed  of  mine.  Mr  Seagrave," 
continued  Ready,  "as  it  is  bed-time,  if  you  please,  I'll 
hand  you  the  Bible.  Oblige  me  by  reading  that  part, 
*  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest.'  Oh  !  sir,  what  comfort  there  is 
in  that  book  !  " 

Mr  Seagrave  read  the  chapter  that  Ready  requested, 
and  finished  with  a  short  prayer,  after  which  they  all 
retired  to  their  beds. 


Chapter  XXXIII 

The  next  morning  was  fine,  and  as  soon  as  breakfast  was 
over,  they  took  the  wheels  down  to  the  turtle  pond,  and 
Ready  having  speared  one  of  the  largest  by  means  of  a 
pike  with  a  barb  to  it,  which  he  had  made  on  purpose, 
they  hauled  it  on  shore,  slung  it  under  the  wheels,  and 
took  it  up  to  the  house.  Having  killed  the  turtle,  and  cut 
it  up,  Juno,  under  the  directions  of  Ready,  chose  such 
portions  as  were  required  for  the  soup  ;  and  when  the  pot 
was  on  the  fire,  Ready,  Mr  Seagrave,  and  William  set  off 
with  the  cross-cut  saw  and  hatchets,  to  commence  felling 
the  cocoa-nut  trees  for  the  building  of  the  out-house, 
which  was  to  hold  their  stores,  as  soon  as  they  could  be 
brought  round  from  the  other  side  of  the  island. 

"  I  mean  this  to  be  our  place  of  refuge  in  case  of  danger, 
sir,"  observed  Ready ;  "  and  therefore  I  have  selected  this 
thick  part  of  the  wood,  as  it  is  not  very  far  from  the 
house,  and  by  cutting  the  path  to  it  in  a  zigzag,  it  will  be 
quite  hidden  from  sight ;  and  we  must  make  the  path  just 
wide  enough  to  allow  the  wheels  to  pass,  and  stump  up 
the  roots  of  the  trees  which  we  are  obliged  to  cut  down, 
otherwise  the  stumps  would  attract  attention.  Not  that  I 
think  we  shall  ever  want  it ;  but  still  it  is  a  precaution 
which  we  may  as  well  take,  as  it  will  not  give  us  a  great 
deal  of  extra  labour." 

R  K 


146  Masterman  Ready 

"  I  agree  with  you,  Ready,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave ; 
"  there  is  no  saying  what  may  happen." 

"  You  see,  sir,  between  ourselves,  it  is  often  the  custom 
for  the  natives,  in  this  part  of  the  world,  to  come  in  their 
canoes  from  one  island  to  another,  merely  to  get  cocoa-nuts. 
I  can't  say  that  the  other  islands  near  us  are  inhabited,  but 
still  it  is  probable,  and  we  cannot  tell  what  the  character  of 
the  people  may  be.  I  tell  you  this,  but  you  had  better 
not  say  a  word  to  Mrs  Seagrave,  as  it  may  distress  her ; 
Master  William,  you  will  not,  I  am  sure." 

"  Oh  no  j  I  would  not  say  anything  to  alarm  my  mother, 
depend  upon  it,  Ready." 

"We  are  now  near  the  spot,  sir.  You  see,  when  we 
have  got  over  this  hill,  where  the  trees  are  so  very  thick, 
the  fall  in  the  ground  will  assist  in  the  concealment  of  the 
building.  I  should  say  we  are  very  near  right  where  we 
now  stand,  sir,  for  we  are  two-thirds  of  the  way  down  the 
hollow,  and  we  have  more  than  sufficient  slope  to  drain  off 
the  water." 

"  How  far  are  we  now  from  the  house,  Ready  ?  .  We 
must  not  be  too  distant." 

"  I  reckon  we  are  not  150  yards  in  a  straight  line,  although 
the  road  will,  by  its  turning,  make  it  double  the  distance." 

"  Then  I  think  this  spot  will  do  very  well ;  so  the 
sooner  we  begin  the  better." 

"  I'll  just  mark  out  the  trees  which  are  to  stand,  Mr  Sea- 
grave, and  those  which  are  to  be  cut  down,  so  as  to  leave 
about  four  feet  of  stump  standing.  Master  William,  will 
you  please  to  take  the  other  end  of  the  line  ?  " 

As  soon  as  they  had  planned  the  building,  the  axes  and 
saw  were  in  full  use,  and  tree  after  tree  fell  one  upon  the 
other.  They  worked  hard  till  dinner-time,  and  were  not 
sorry  at  the  prospect  of  sitting  down  to  a  rich  mess  of  turtle 
soup. 

"  My  dear  William,  and  you  too,  Mr  Seagrave,  how 
very  warm  you  are,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave ;  "  you  must  not 
work  so  hard." 

"  Cutting    down   trees   is   very  warm  work,  mother," 


Masterman  Ready  147 

replied  William,  "  and  hard  work  will  never  hurt  anyone, 
especially  when  he  dines  off  turtle  soup ;  we  are  very 
hungry,  and  shall  do  justice  to  Juno's  cooking.  Why, 
Tommy,  what's  the  matter  with  you  ? " 

w  Tommy  and  I  are  at  variance,"  replied  Mrs  Seagrave. 
"  I  had  my  thimble  this  morning,  and  had  commenced  my 
sewing,  when  I  was  called  out  by  Juno,  and  Caroline  went 
with  me,  and  Tommy  was  left  in  the  house.  When  I 
came  back  I  found  him  outside,  and  on  going  back  to  my 
work,  there  was  no  thimble  to  be  found ;  I  asked  him  if 
he  had  touched  it,  and  his  answer  was  that  he  would  look 
for  it.  He  did  look,  and  said  he  could  not  find  it ;  I  have 
asked  him  several  times  if  he  took  it  away,  and  his  only 
answer  is,  that  he  will  find  it  by-and-bye.  I  am  certain 
he  has  taken  it,  but  he  will  not  say  if  he  has  or  has  not. 
The  consequence  is,  that  I  have  done  no  work  the  whole 
morning." 

"Tommy,  did  you  take  the  thimble?"  said  Mr  Sea- 
grave,  gravely. 

* '  I'll  find  it  by-and-bye,  papa." 

"  That's  not  an  answer,  sir.     Did  you  take  the  thimble  ? " 

"  I'll  find  it  by-and-bye,  papa,"  said  Tommy,  whimpering. 

"That's  all  the  answer  he  will  give  me,"  said  Mrs 
Seagrave. 

"  Well,  then,  he  shall  have  no  dinner  till  the  thimble 
makes  its  appearance,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave. 

Master  Tommy  began  to  cry  at  this  intelligence.  Juno 
appeared  with  the  turtle  soup,  the  smell  of  which  was  very 
savoury ;  and  Tommy  cried  louder  when  they  had  said 
grace  and  commenced  their  dinner.  They  were  all  very 
hungry,  and  William  sent  his  plate  for  another  portion, 
which  he  had  not  commenced  long  before  he  put  his  finger 
in  his  mouth  and  pulled  out  something. 

"Why,  mother,  here's  the  thimble  in  my  soup,"  cried 
William j  "I  had  very  nearly  swallowed  it." 

"  No  wonder  he  said  he  would  find  it  by-and-bye,"  said 
Ready,  smiling ;  "he  meant  to  have  fished  it  up,  I 
suppose,  from  what  was  left  of  the    soup    after   dinner. 


148  Masterman  Ready 

Well,  Mrs  Seagrave,  I  don't  mean  to  say  that  Tommy  is 
a  good  boy,  but  still,  although  he  would  not  tell  where 
the  thimble  was,  he  has  not  told  a  falsehood  about  it." 

"No,  he  has  not,"  replied  William.  "I  think,  now 
that  the  thimble  is  found,  if  he  begs  pardon,  papa  will 
forgive  him." 

"  Tommy,  come  here,"  said  Mr  Seagrave.  "  Tell  me 
why  you  put  that  thimble  into  the  soup." 

"I  wanted  to  taste  the  soup.  I  wanted  to  fill  the 
thimble ;  the  soup  burnt  my  fingers,  and  I  let  the  thimble 
drop  in." 

"  Well,  a  thimbleful  wasn't  much,  at  all  events,"  observed 
Ready.  "  And  why  didn't  you  tell  your  mamma  where 
the  thimble  was  ?  " 

"  I  was  afraid  mamma  throw  all  the  soup  away,  and  then 
I  get  none  for  dinner." 

"  Oh  !  that  was  it,  was  it  ?  Well,  sir,  I  said  you  should 
have  no  dinner  till  the  thimble  was  found,  so,  as  it  is 
found,  you  may  have  your  dinner ;  but  if  you  ever  refuse 
to  answer  a  question  again,  I  shall  punish  you  more 
severely." 

Tommy  was  glad  the  lecture  was  over,  and  more  glad 
to  get  his  turtle  soup ;  he  finished  one  plate,  and,  as  he 
asked  for  another,  he  said,  "  Tommy  won't  put  thimble  in 
again ;  put  tin  pot  in  next  time." 

"  Massa  Tommy,  you  put  nothing  in  at  all,"  said  Juno, 
who  was  eating  her  dinner  beside  him ;  "  some  day  you 
scald  yourself  all  over — little  greedy  boy." 

After  dinner  they  went  to  their  work  again,  and  did  not 
come  in  again  till  sunset. 

"  The  clouds  are  gathering  fast,  sir,"  observed  Ready ; 
"  we  shall  have  rain  to-night." 

"  I  fear  we  shall ;  but  we  must  expect  it  now,  Ready." 

"Yes,  sir;  and  by-and-bye  we  shall  have  it  for  days 
together." 

"  Ready,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  "if  you  are  not  too  much 
tired,  perhaps  you  will  go  on  with  your  history." 

"  Certainly,    ma'am,    if  you  wish   it,"   replied    Ready. 


Masterman  Ready  149 

"  When  I  left  off,  I  was  on  board  of  the  collier,  bound  to 
London.  We  had  a  very  fair  wind,  and  a  quick  passage. 
I  was  very  sick  until  we  arrived  in  the  Nore,  and  then 
I  recovered,  and,  as  you  may  suppose,  was  astonished  at 
the  busy  scene,  and  the  quantity  of  vessels  which  were 
going  up  and  down  the  river.  But  I  did  not  like  my 
captain ;  he  was  very  severe  and  brutal  to  the  men ; 
and  the  apprentice  who  was  on  board  told  me  to  run 
away,  and  get  into  another  vessel,  and  not  to  bind  myself 
apprentice  to  this  captain,  or  I  should  be  beat  all  day 
long,  and  be  treated  as  bad  as  he  was.  I  knew  this  was 
the  case,  as  the  captain  kicked  and  cuffed  him  twenty 
times  a  day.  The  men  said  that  he  did  not  do  so  to  me, 
for  fear  I  should  refuse  to  be  his  apprentice ;  but  that,  as 
soon  as  my  indentures  were  signed,  he  would  treat  me  in 
the  same  way." 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  indentures,  papa?"  said 
William. 

"When  a  lad  wishes  to  learn  a  trade,  William,  of 
course  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  be  taught ;  and  if  a 
lad,  as  soon  as  he  had  learnt  his  trade,  was  able  to  leave 
the  person  who  taught  him,  and  work  for  another,  of 
course  no  tradesman  would  consent  to  take  a  boy  and 
teach  him,  as  he  would  have  all  his  trouble  for  nothing. 
During  the  first  two  years  that  a  lad  is  put  to  a  trade,  of 
course,  he  is  of  little  or  no  use  to  his  master ;  an  inden- 
ture, therefore,  is  an  agreement  between  the  tradesman, 
or  party  who  teaches,  and  the  parents  of  the  lad,  the 
parish,  or  a  magistrate,  by  which  he  is  bound  to  serve  his 
master  so  many  years ;  that,  by  the  work  he  does  at  the 
latter  time  of  his  apprenticeship,  he  may  indemnify  his 
master  for  the  expense  and  trouble  which  he  causes  at  the 
commencement.  In  an  indenture  the  master  agrees  to 
supply  the  apprentice  with  food,  and  clothing,  and 
necessaries,  during  his  whole  apprenticeship  ;  and  the  lad 
agrees  to  work  for  his  master's  benefit  for  the  whole 
number  of  years  that  he  is  apprenticed  :  after  he  has 
served  his  apprenticeship,   he  is   then  free  to  work  for 


150  Masterman  Ready 

himself.  Boys  who  are  sent  to  sea  are  bound  apprentices 
in  the  same  way  as  boys  who  are  taught  a  trade  on  shore." 

"  Thank  voh,  papa,"  replied  William.  "  Now,  Ready, 
please  to  go  on." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  not 
remain  in  the  collier;  and,  as  the  captain  had  gone  on 
shore,  I  had  plenty  of  time  to  look  about  me.  There  was 
a  large  ship,  which  was  ready  to  sail,  lying  in  the  stream ; 
I  spoke  to  two  boys  who  were  at  the  stairs  in  her  boat, 
and  they  told  me  that  they  were  very  comfortable  on 
board,  and  that  the  captain  wanted  two  or  three  appren- 
tices. I  went  on  board  with  them,  and  offered  myself. 
The  captain  asked  me  a  great  many  questions,  and  I  told 
him  the  truth,  and  why  I  did  not  like  to  remain  in  the 
collier.  He  agreed  to  take  me ;  and  I  went  on  shore  with 
him,  signed  my  indentures,  and  received  from  him  a 
sufficient  supply  of  clothes ;  and,  two  days  afterwards,  we 
sailed  for  Bombay  and  China." 

"  But  you  wrote  to  your  mother,  Ready,  did  you  not  ? " 
said  William. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  did ;  for  the  captain  desired  me  to  do  so, 
and  he  put  a  few  lines  at  the  bottom  to  comfort  her ;  but, 
unfortunately,  sir,  the  letter,  which  was  sent  on  shore  by 
the  cook,  never  arrived.  Whether  he  dropped  it,  or  forgot 
it  till  after  the  ship  sailed,  and  then  tore  it  up,  I  do  not 
know ;  but,  as  I  found  out  afterwards,  it  never  did  get  to 
her  hands." 

"  It  was  not  your  fault,  that  the  letter  did  not  arrive 
safe,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"No,  madam,  that  was  not  my  fault;  the  fault  had 
been  committed  before." 

"Don't  dwell  any  more  upon  that  portion  of  your 
history,  Ready  ;  but  tell  us  what  took  place  after  you 
sailed  for  the  East  Indies." 

"Be  it  so,  if  you  please.  I  certainly  was  very  smart 
and  active  for  my  age,  and  soon  became  a  great  favourite 
on  board,  especially  with  the  lady  passengers,  because  I 
was  such  a  little  fellow.     We  arrived  safely  at  Bombay, 


Masterman  Ready  151 

where  our  passengers  went  on  shore,  and  in  three  weeks 
afterwards  we  sailed  down  the  straits  for  China.  It  was 
war  time,  and  we  were  very  often  chased  by  French 
privateers ;  but  as  we  had  a  good  crew  and  plenty  of 
guns,  none  of  them  ventured  to  attack  us,  and  we  got  safe 
to  Macao,  where  we  unloaded  our  cargo  and  took  in  teas. 
We  had  to  wait  some  time  for  a  convoy,  and  then  sailed 
for  England.  When  we  were  off  the  isle  of  France,  the 
convoy  was  dispersed  in  a  gale  ;  and  three  days  afterwards, 
a  French  frigate  bore  down  upon  us,  and,  after  exchanging 
a  few  broadsides,  we  were  compelled  to  haul  down  our 
colours.  A  lieutenant  was  sent  on  board  with  forty  men, 
to  take  charge  of  us,  for  we  were  a  very  rich  prize  to 
them.  The  captain  and  most  of  the  crew  were  taken  on 
board  of  the  frigate,  but  ten  Lascars  and  the  boys  were 
left  in  the  Indiaman,  to  assist  in  taking  her  into  the  Isle  of 
France,  which  was  at  that  time  in  the  hands  of  the  French. 
I  thought  it  hard  that  I  was  to  go  to  prison  at  twelve  years 
old ;  but  I  did  not  care  much  about  it,  and  very  soon  I 
was  as  gay  and  merry  as  ever.  We  had  made  the  island, 
and  were  on  a  wind  beating  up  to  the  port,  when  a  vessel 
was  seen  to  windward,  and  although  I  could  not  under- 
stand what  the  Frenchmen  said,  I  perceived  that  they  were 
in  a  great  fluster  and  very  busy  with  their  spy-glasses,  and 
Jack  Romer,  one  of  my  brother-'prentices  who  had  been 
three  years  at  sea,  said  to  me,  '  I  don't  think  we'll  go  to 
prison  after  all,  Ready,  for  that  vessel  is  an  English  man- 
of-war,  if  I'm  not  mistaken.'  At  last  she  came  down 
within  three  miles  of  us,  and  hoisted  English  colours  and 
fired  a  gun.  The  Frenchmen  put  the  ship  before  the 
wind,  but  it  was  of  no  use ;  the  man-of-war  came  up  with 
us  very  fast,  and  then  the  Frenchmen  began  to  pack  up 
their  clothes,  together  with  all  the  other  things  which  they 
had  collected  out  of  the  property  of  our  captain  and  crew ; 
a  shot  was  fired,  which  went  clean  over  our  heads,  and 
then  they  left  the  helm,  and  Jack  Romer  went  to  it,  and, 
with  my  help,  hove  the  ship  up  in  the  wind ;  a  boat  came 
on  board   and   took   possession,   and   so   there   was   one 


152  Masterman  Ready 

escape,  at  all  events.  When  the  captain  of  the  English 
frigate  heard  how  the  Frenchmen  had  behaved,  he  ordered 
all  their  baggage  to  be  examined  as  they  came  on  board, 
taking  away  everything  which  they  had  plundered." 

"  It  would  have  served  them  right  to  have  taken  away 
their  own  things  in  return,"  said  William. 

"  Yes,  Master  William,  it  would  have  served  them 
right ;  but  still  it  would  have  been  wrong  to  have  done 
so ;  by  so  doing,  we  should  have  been  as  dishonest  as 
they  were.  The  captain  did  not  take  away  their  property, 
but  he  put  them  all  down  in  the  fore-hold,  which,  as 
prisoners,  he  was  justified  in  doing.  They  sent  a  mid- 
shipman as  prize-master  on  board  of  the  vessel,  and  left 
all  us,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners  by  the  French,  in  the 
vessel,  to  help  to  work  her  into  port,  as  the  captain 
did  not  wish  to  part  with  any  more  men  of  his  own  than 
was  necessary.  We  soon  made  sail  for  England,  quite 
delighted  at  having  escaped  a  French  Prison,  but,  after  all, 
we  only  exchanged  it  for  a  Dutch  one." 

"  How  do  you  mean  ? " 

"  I  mean  that,  two  days  afterwards,  as  we  were 
rounding  the  Cape,  another  French  vessel  bore  down 
upon  us,  and  captured  us.  This  time  we  did  not  find 
any  friend  in  need,  and  were  taken  into  Table  Bay ;  for 
at  that  time  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  was  in  the  possession 
of  the  Dutch,  who,  as  well  as  the  French,  were  at  war 
with  England." 

"  How  very  unfortunate  you  were,  Ready,"  said 
Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  Yes,  madam,  we  were,  and  I  can't  say  much  in  favour 
of  a  Dutch  prison.  However,  I  was  very  young  at  that 
time,  and  did  not  care  much — I  had  a  light  heart :  but 
bed-time  is  come,  Miss  Caroline  is  fast  asleep,  and  Master 
Tommy  has  been  yawning  this  last  half-hour  j  so  I  think 
I  had  better  leave  off  now,  if  you  please." 


Masterman  Ready  153 


Chapter  XXXIV 

A  heavy  storm  came  on  soon  after  they  had  retired  to 
rest ;  the  lightning  was  so  vivid  that  its  flashes  penetrated 
through  the  chinks  of  the  door  and  windows,  and  the 
thunder  burst  upon  them  with  a  noise  which  prevented 
them  obtaining  any  sleep.  The  children  cried  and 
trembled  as  they  lay  in  the  arms  of  Mrs  Seagrave  and 
Juno,  who  were  almost  as  much  alarmed  themselves. 

"  This  is  very  awful,"  said  Mr  Seagrave  to  Ready,  for 
they  had  both  risen  from  their  beds. 

"  It  is,  indeed,  sir  ;  I  never  knew  a  more  terrible  storm 
than  this.  I  often  fancy  that  the  lightning  and  thunder 
are  as  the  eye  and  voice  of  the  Eternal  in  his  wrath." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  Ready ;  it  is  through  the  elements 
that  God  speaks  to  man,  and  that  we  feel  his  power. 
Merciful  Heaven  ! " 

As  Mr  Seagrave  spoke,  they  were  both  thrown  back 
half-stunned  ;  a  crash  of  thunder  burst  over  the  house, 
which  shook  everything  in  it ;  a  sulphurous  smell  pervaded 
the  building,  and  soon  afterwards,  when  they  recovered 
their  feet,  they  perceived  that  the  house  was  full  of  smoke, 
and  they  heard  the  wailing  of  the  women  and  the  shrieks 
of  the  children  in  the  bed-places  on  the  other  side. 

"  God  have  mercy  on  us  !  "  exclaimed  Ready,  who  was 
the  first  to  recover  himself,  and  who  now  attempted  to 
ascertain  the  injury  which  had  been  done  :  "the  lightning 
has  struck  us,  and  I  fear  that  the  house  is  on  fire  some- 
where." 

"My  wife — my  children!"  exclaimed  Mr  Seagrave; 
"  are  they  all  safe  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes  !  "  cried  Mrs  Seagrave,  "  all  safe ;  Tommy 
has  come  to  me,  but  where  is  Juno  ?  Juno  !  " 

Juno  answered  not ;  "William  darted  to  the  other  side  of 
the  house,  and  found  Juno  lying  on  her  side,  motionless. 

"  She  is  dead,  father,"  cried  William. 


154  Masterman  Ready 

"  Help  me  to  carry  her  out  of  the  house,  Mr  Seagrave," 
said  Ready,  who  had  lifted  up  the  poor  girl ;  "  she  may  be 
only  stunned." 

They  carried  Juno  out  of  the  house,  and  laid  her  on  the 
ground ;  the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents. 

Ready  left  them  for  a  minute,  to  ascertain  if  the  house 
was  on  fire  ;  he  found  that  it  had  been  in  flames  at  the 
further  corner,  but  the  rain  had  extinguished  it.  He  then 
went  back  to  Mr  Seagrave  and  William,  who  were  with 
Juno. 

"  I  will  attend  to  the  girl,  sir,"  said  Ready ;  "  go  you 
and  Master  William  into  the  house  ;  Mrs  Seagrave  will  be 
too  much  frightened  if  she  is  left  alone  at  such  an  awful 
time.  See,  sir  !  Juno  is  not  dead — her  chest  heaves — she 
will  come  to  very  soon ;  thank  God  for  it — we  could  but 
ill  spare  the  poor  girl." 

William  and  Mr  Seagrave  returned  to  the  house ;  they 
found  Mrs  Seagrave  fainting  with  anxiety  and  fear.  The 
information  they  brought,  that  Juno  was  not  killed  by  the 
lightning,  did  much  to  restore  her.  William  soothed  little 
Albert,  and  Tommy  in  a  few  minutes  was  fast  asleep  again 
in  his  father's  arms.  The  storm  now  abated,  and  as  the 
day  began  to  break,  Ready  appeared  with  Juno,  who  was 
sufficiently  recovered  to  be  able  to  walk  in  with  his  sup- 
port ;  she  was  put  into  her  bed,  and  then  Ready  and  Mr 
Seagrave  went  to  examine  if  further  mischief  had  been  done. 
The  lightning  had  come  in  at  the  further  end  of  the  house, 
at  the  part  where  the  fire-place  was  intended  to  have  been 
made ;  they  found  that  it  had  melted  down  part  of  the 
iron  kettle,  and,  what  was  a  greater  loss,  that  black 
Nanny,  the  goat,  was  killed — the  kids  were,  however, 
unhurt. 

"We  have,  indeed,  been  most  mercifully  preserved," 
said  Mr  Seagrave. 

"  Yes,  sir,  thanks  be  to  God  for  all  his  goodness," 
replied  Ready.     "  I  thought  poor  Juno  was  gone." 

"I  think  we  have  a  large  roll  of  copper  wire,  Ready j 
have  we  not  ?  "  said  Mr  Seagrave. 


Masterman  Ready  155 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  was  just  thinking  of  it  myself;  we  will  have 
a  lightning  conductor  up  the  first  thing." 

"  No,  Ready ;  we  will  return  our  thanks  to  God  for 
our  preservation  first,  and  use  our  human  precautions 
afterwards." 

"True,  sir,  we  are  bound  to  do  so;  and  with  grateful 
hearts." 

It  was  now  broad  daylight.  Mrs  Seagrave  dressed  her- 
self and  the  children,  and  as  soon  as  she  was  ready,  Mr 
Seagrave  read  such  portions  of  the  Psalms  as  were  appro- 
priate, and  they  earnestly  joined  in  a  prayer  of  thankfulness 
and  humility.  William  went  out  to  prepare  the  breakfast, 
and  Ready  procured  the  coil  of  copper  wire  from  those 
stores  which  were  stowed  under  the  bed-places.  This  he 
unrolled,  and  stretched  it  out  straight,  and  then  went  for 
the  ladder,  which  was  at  the  out-house,  which  they  had 
commenced  building.  As  soon  as  breakfast  was  over, 
Ready  and  Mr  Seagrave  went  out  again  to  fix  up  the 
lightning  conductor,  leaving  William  to  do  the  work  of 
Juno,  who  still  remained  fast  asleep  in  her  bed. 

"I  think,  sir,"  said  Ready,  "that  one  of  those  two 
trees  which  are  close  together  will  suit  the  best ;  they 
are  not  too  near  the  house,  and  yet  quite  near  enough 
for  the  wire  to  attract  the  lightning." 

"  Yes,  I  agree  with  you,  Ready  ;  but  we  must  not 
leave  them  both  standing." 

"  No,  sir,  but  we  shall  require  them  both  to  get  up 
and  fix  the  wire;  after  that  we  will  cut  down  the 
other." 

Ready  put  his  ladder  against  one  of  the  trees,  and 
taking  with  him  the  hammer  and  a  bag  of  large  spike 
nails,  drove  one  of  the  nails  into  the  trunk  of  the  tree 
till  it  was  deep  enough  in  to  bear  his  weight ;  he  then 
drove  in  another  above  it,  and  so  he  continued  to  do, 
standing  upon  one  of  them  while  he  drove  in  another 
above,  till  he  had  reached  to  the  top  of  the  tree,  close  to 
the  boughs  ;  he  then  descended,  and,  leaving  the  hammer 
behind  him,  took  up  a  saw  and  small  axe,  and  in  about 


156  Masterman  Ready- 

ten  minutes  he  had  cut  off  the  head  of  the  cocoa-nut  tree, 
which  remained  a  tall,  bare  pole. 

"  Take  care,  Ready,  how  you  come  down,"  said  Mr 
Seagrave,  anxiously. 

"  Never  fear,  sir,"  replied  Ready ;  "  I'm  not  so  young 
as  I  was,  but  I  have  been  too  often  at  the  mast-head, 
much  higher  than  this."  Ready  came  down  again,  and 
then  cut  down  a  small  pole,  to  fix,  with  a  thick  piece  of 
pointed  wire  at  the  top  of  it,  on  the  head  of  the  cocoa-nut 
tree.  He  then  went  up,  lashed  the  small  pole  to  the 
head  of  the  tree,  made  the  end  of  the  copper  wire  fast 
to  the  pointed  wire,  and  then  he  descended.  The  other 
tree  near  to  it  was  then  cut  down,  and  the  lower  end  of 
the  wire  buried  in  the  ground  at  the  bottom  of  the  tree 
on  which  the  lightning  conductor  had  been  fixed. 

"  That's  a  good  job  done,  sir,"  said  Ready,  wiping  his 
face,  for  he  was  warm  with  the  work. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  ;  "  and  we  must  put  up 
another  near  the  out-house,  or  we  may  lose  our  stores." 

"  Very  true,  sir." 

"  You  understand  this,  William ;  don't  you  ?  "  said  his 
father. 

"  O  yes,  papa ;  lightning  is  attracted  by  metal,  and 
will  now  strike  the  point  instead  of  the  house,  run  down 
the  wire,  and  only  tear  up  the  ground  below.  You  ex- 
plained it  to  me  before." 

"  Well,  and  you've  not  forgot  it,  Master  William,"  said 
Ready.  "  It's  coming  on  again,  sir,  as  thick  as  ever," 
observed  the  old  man;  "we  shall  do  no  work  to-day, 
I'm  afraid.  I'll  just  go  and  see  where  the  stock  are  ; 
I  hope  we  have  lost  no  more  of  them.  Perhaps  you  and 
William  will  bury  the  poor  goat ;  you  will  be  able  to  do 
that  before  the  storm  begins." 

Mr  Seagrave  and  William  pulled  Nanny  out  by  the 
legs,  and  buried  her  under  the  lightning  conductor.  By 
the  time  they  had  finished,  Ready  returned ;  he  had 
found  the  goats  and  sheep,  and  he  had  brought  with 
him  the  other  goat,  which  had  kidded  during  the  storm. 


Masterman  Ready  157 

"  The  Lord  gives,  and  the  Lord  takes  away,  sir,"  said 
Ready,  as  he  came  to  them.  "  I  was  fearful  that  we 
should  have  nothing  to  give  the  poor  kids  which  had 
lost  their  mother,  but  now  this  goat  can  rear  them  all 
four.  It  will  be  rather  hard  upon  her,  but  she  must  do 
it ;  we  will  feed  her  well,  at  all  events." 

Ready  led  in  the  other  goat  and  put  her  in  the  same 
place  where  Black  Nanny  had  been,  and  then  they  sat  down 
to  dinner.  Juno  was  now  up  again,  and  said  that  she  was 
quite  well,  with  the  exception  of  a  headache.  As  Ready 
had  predicted,  the  rain  now  came  on  again  with  great 
violence,  and  it  was  impossible  to  do  any  work  out  of 
doors.  At  the  request  of  William,  he  continued  his 
history. 


History  of  Old  Ready, 

"Well,  Master  William,  as  soon  as  they  had  let  go 
their  anchor  in  Table  Bay,  we  were  all  ordered  on  shore, 
and  sent  up  to  a  prison  close  to  the  Government  Gardens. 
We  were  not  very  carefully  watched,  as  it  appeared 
impossible  for  us  to  get  away,  and  I  must  say  we  were 
well  treated  in  every  respect ;  but  we  were  told  that  we 
should  be  sent  to  Holland  in  the  first  man-of-war  which 
came  into  the  bay,  and  we  did  not  much  like  the  idea. 

"  There  were,  as  I  told  you,  some  other  boys  as  well  as 
myself,  who  belonged  to  the  Indiaman,  and  we  kept  very 
much  together,  not  only  because  we  were  more  of  an  age, 
but  because  we  had  been  shipmates  so  long.  Two  of 
these  boys,  one  of  whom  I  have  mentioned  as  Jack  Romer, 
and  the  other  Will  Hastings,  were  my  particular  friends ; 
and  one  day,  as  we  were  sitting  under  the  wall,  warming 
ourselves,  for  it  was  winter  time,  Romer  said,  '  How  very 
easy  it  would  be  for  us  to  get  away,  if  we  only  knew 
where  to  go  to.'  '  Yes,'  replied  Hastings,  '  but  where  are 
we  to  go  to,  if  it  is  not  to  the  Hottentots  and  wild  savages  ? 
and  when  we  get  there,  what  can  we  do  ? — we  can't  get 


158  Masterman  Ready 

any  farther.'  '  Well,'  said  I,  '  I  would  rather  be  living 
free  among  savages,  than  be  shut  up  in  a  prison.'  That 
was  our  first  talk  on  the  subject,  but  we  had  many  others 
afterwards ;  and  as  the  one  or  two  Dutch  soldiers,  who 
stood  sentry,  spoke  English,  and  we  could  talk  a  little 
Dutch,  we  obtained  a  good  deal  of  information  from  them ; 
for  they  had  very  often  been  sent  to  the  frontiers  of  the 
colony.  We  continued  to  ask  questions,  and  to  talk 
among  ourselves  for  about  two  months,  and  at  last  we 
resolved  that  we  would  make  our  escape.  Now,  you  see, 
Master  William,  this  was  a  very  foolish  business,  and 
shows  how  unfit  boys  are  to  judge  for  themselves :  we 
were  only  running  into  hardship  and  danger,  without  the 
slightest  chance  of  our  escaping.  We  should  have  done 
much  better  if  we  had  remained  where  we  were  j  but 
there  is  no  putting  old  heads  upon  young  shoulders.  We 
saved  up  our  provisions,  bought  some  long  Dutch  knives, 
tied  our  few  clothes  up  in  bundles,  and  one  dark  night  we 
contrived  to  remain  in  the  yard  without  being  perceived, 
when  the  prisoners  were  locked  up ;  and  raising  a  long 
pole,  which  lay  in  the  yard,  to  the  top  of  the  wall,  with  a 
good  deal  of  scrambling  we  contrived  to  get  over  it,  and 
made  off  as  fast  as  we  could  for  the  Table  Mountain." 
"  What  was  your  reason  for  going  there,  Ready  ?  " 
"  Why,  Hastings,  who  was  the  oldest,  and,  I  will  say, 
the  sharpest  of  the  three,  said  that  we  had  better  stay  up 
there  for  a  few  days,  till  we  had  made  up  our  minds  what 
to  do,  and  try  if  we  could  not  procure  a  musket  or  two, 
and  ammunition ;  for,  you  see,  we  had  money,  as,  when 
the  Indiaman  was  first  taken,  the  captain  divided  a  keg  of 
rupees,  which  was  on  board,  among  the  officers  and  men, 
in  proportion  to  the  wages  due  to  them,  thinking  it  was 
better  for  the  crew  to  have  the  money,  than  to  leave  it  for  the 
Frenchmen ;  and  we  had  spent  very  little  while  in  prison, 
for  spirits  were  not  allowed,  and  we  boys  had  not  begun 
to  chew  tobacco,  or  smoke.  There  was  also  another 
reason  why  he  persuaded  us  to  go  to  the  Table  Mountain, 
which  was,  that  as  soon  as  our  escape  was  found  out,  they 


Masterman  Ready  159 

would  send  parties  to  look  for  us ;  thinking,  of  course, 
that  we  had  made  for  the  interior ;  and  we  should  have 
less  chance  of  being  retaken  if  we  travelled  after  the  first 
search  was  over.  The  soldiers  had  told  us  of  the  lions, 
and  other  wild  animals,  and  how  dangerous  it  was  to  travel, 
and  Hastings  said,  that  not  finding  us,  they  would  suppose 
we  had  been  destroyed  by  the  wild  beasts,  and  would  not 
look  for  us  any  more.  You  see  we  had  some  sort  of 
calculation,  although  we  were  foolish  boys." 

"  Foolish  indeed,"  observed  Mrs  Seagrave,  "  to  set  off 
you  knew  not  where,  in  a  country  full  of  wild  beasts  and 
savages." 

"  True  enough,  madam,"  replied  Ready;  "and  now  I 
will  tell  you  what  happened  to  us  ere  we  were  three  hours 
on  our  journey.  We  ran  at  first  until  we  were  out  of 
breath,  and  then  we  walked  on  as  fast  as  we  could — not 
going  right  up  the  mountain,  but  keeping  a  slanting 
direction  to  the  south-west,  so  as  to  get  away  from  the 
town,  and  more  towards  False  Bay  j  you  recollect  I  showed 
you  that  bay,  Master  William,  as  we  passed  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope." 

"  Yes,  I  remember,  Ready." 

"  We  had  walked  about  four  hours,  and  began  to  feel 
very  tired  when  the  day  dawned,  and  then  we  looked  out 
for  a  place  to  conceal  ourselves  in.  We  soon  found  a  cave 
with  a  narrow  entrance,  large  enough  inside  to  hold  half  a 
dozen  of  such  lads  as  we  were,  and  we  crawled  in.  It  was 
quite  dry,  and,  as  we  were  very  tired,  we  lay  down  with 
our  heads  on  our  bundles,  intending  to  take  a  nap ;  but 
we  had  hardly  made  ourselves  comfortable  and  shut  our 
eyes,  when  we  heard  such  a  screaming  and  barking,  that 
we  were  frightened  out  of  our  lives  almost.  We  could 
not  think  what  it  could  be.  At  last  Hastings  peeped  out, 
and  began  to  laugh  ;  so  Romer  and  I  looked  out  also,  and 
there  we  saw  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  large  baboons, 
leaping  and  tumbling  about  in  such  a  way  as  I  never  saw  ; 
they  were  bigger  than  we  were — indeed,  when  they  stood 
on  their  hind  legs  they  were  much  taller,  and  they  had 


160  Masterman  Ready- 

very  large  white  tusks.  Some  of  them  were  females, 
with  young  ones  on  their  backs,  and  they  were  just  as 
active  as  the  males.  At  last  they  played  such  antics,  that 
we  all  burst  out  into  a  loud  laugh,  and  we  had  not  ceased 
when  we  found  the  grinning  face  of  one  of  the  largest  of 
those  brutes  close  to  our  own.  He  had  dropped  from  the 
rock  above  us,  like  magic.  We  all  three  backed  into  the 
cave,  very  much  frightened,  for  the  teeth  of  the  animal 
were  enormous,  and  he  looked  very  savage.  He  gave  a 
shrill  cry,  and  we  perceived  all  the  rest  of  the  herd  coming 
to  him  as  fast  as  they  could.  I  said  that  the  cave  was 
large  enough  to  hold  six  of  us ;  but  there  was  a  sort  of 
inner  cave  which  we  had  not  gone  into,  as  the  entrance 
was  much  smaller.  Romer  cried  out,  '  Let  us  go  into 
the  inside  cave — we  can  get  in  one  by  one  j '  and  he  backed 
in;  Hastings  followed  with  his  bundle,  and  I  hurried  in 
after  him  just  in  time ;  for  the  baboons,  who  had  been 
chattering  to  each  other  for  half  a  minute,  came  into  the 
outer  cave  just  as  I  crawled  into  the  inner.  Five  or  six 
of  them  came  in,  all  males,  and  very  large.  The  first 
thing  they  did  was  to  lay  hold  of  Romer's  bundle,  which 
they  soon  opened — at  once  they  seized  his  provisions  and 
rammed  them  into  their  pouches,  and  then  they  pulled 
out  the  other  things,  and  tore  them  all  to  pieces.  As 
soon  as  they  had  done  with  the  bundle,  two  of  them 
came  towards  the  inner  cave  and  saw  us.  One  put  his 
long  paw  in  to  seize  us ;  but  Hastings  gave  him  a  slash 
with  his  knife,  and  the  animal  took  his  paw  out  again 
fast  enough.  It  was  laughable  to  see  him  hold  out  his 
hand  to  the  others,  and  then  taste  the  blood  with  the 
tip  of  his  tongue,  and  such  a  chattering  I  never  heard — 
they  were  evidently  very  angry,  and  more  came  into  the 
cave  and  joined  them ;  then  another  put  in  his  hand,  and 
received  a  cut  just  as  before.  At  last,  two  or  three  at 
once  tried  to  pull  us  out,  but  we  beat  them  all  off  with 
our  knives,  wounding  them  all  very  severely.  For  about 
an  hour  they  continued  their  attempts,  and  then  they  went 
away  out  of  the  cave,  but  remained  at  the  mouth,  shrieking 


Masterman  Ready  161 

and  howling.  We  began  to  be  very  tired  of  this  work, 
and  Romer  said  that  he  wished  he  was  back  in  prison 
again ;  and  so  did  I,  I  can  assure  you  ;  but  there  was  no 
getting  out,  for  had  we  gone  out  the  animals  would  have 
torn  us  to  pieces.  We  agreed  that  we  had  no  chance, 
but  the  animals  becoming  tired  and  going  away ;  and  most 
anxious  we  were,  for  the  excitement  had  made  us  very 
thirsty,  and  we  wanted  water.  We  remained  for  two 
hours  in  this  way,  imprisoned  by  baboons,  when  all  of  a 
sudden  a  shrill  cry  was  given  by  one  of  the  animals,  and 
the  whole  herd  went  galloping  off  as  fast  as  they  could, 
screaming  louder  than  ever.  We  waited  for  a  short  time 
to  see  if  they  would  return,  and  then  Hastings  crawled 
out  first,  and  looking  out  of  the  cave  very  cautiously, 
said  that  they  were  all  gone,  and  that  he  could  see  nothing 
but  a  Hottentot  sitting  down  watching  some  cattle  which 
were  browsing  ;  we  therefore  all  came  out,  very  happy 
at  our  release.  That  was  our  first  adventure,  Master 
William ;  we  had  plenty  afterwards ;  but  I  think  it  is 
now  time  we  should  go  to  bed.  It  is  my  opinion  we 
shall  have  a  fine  day  to-morrow,  sir ;  but  there's  no 
saying." 

"I  do  so  want  to  hear  what  happened  to  you  after- 
wards, Ready,"  said  William. 

"  Well,  so  you  shall,  sir ;  but  there's  a  time  for  every- 
thing, and  this  is  bedtime,  unless  you  like  to  go  with  me, 
Master  William ;  the  weather  has  cleared  up,  and  I  want 
to  catch  a  fish  or  two  for  to-morrow." 

"  Yes,  I  will,  Ready,  for  I'm  not  at  all  tired." 

"Well  then,  here  are  the  lines;  good-night,  madam  ; 
good-night,  Mr  Seagrave." 


Chapter  XXXV 

As  Ready  had  predicted,  the  weather  set  in  fine  for  several 
days  after  the  violent  storm,  of  which  we  have  made  men- 

R  L 


1 62  Masterman  Ready 

tion.     Juno  was  weak,  and  suffering  for  some  time.     She 
had  been  struck  down  by  the  lightning,  but  she  was  able 
to  cook  the  dinner  and  do  light  work.     Poor  Juno  appeared 
to  be  very  sensible  of  the  wonderful  preservation  which 
she  had  had  from  the  lightning.     She  had  always  been  a 
good  girl,  and  attentive  whenever  the  Bible  was  read,  but 
now  she  did  not  appear  to  think  that  the  usual  morning  and 
evening  services  were  sufficient  to  express  her  gratitude, 
and  several  times  when  Ready  went  out  first  in  the  morn- 
ing, he  had  perceived  Juno  kneeling  down  under  a  cocoa- 
nut  tree,  secretly  and  devoutly  returning  thanks,  for  having 
been  so  mercifully  spared.     Ready,   of  course,   did   not 
appear  to  notice  her,  but  he  said  more  than  once  to  himself, 
as  he  walked  away,  "  There's  more  good  under  that  dark 
skin  than  under  many  a  white  one,  and  her  prayers  are  as 
acceptable  to  the  Most  High  as  those  of  kings  and  princes." 
For  a   fortnight,  with   little  intermission,  the  weather 
was  fine,  and  during  that  time,  Ready,  Mr  Seagrave,  and 
William  worked  from  daylight  till  dusk  at  the  storehouse, 
which  they  were  so  anxious  to  complete,  and  were  so  tired 
when  their  work  was  over,  that  even  William  did  not  ask 
Ready  to  go  on  with  his  history.     At  last  the  storehouse 
was  complete,  thatched  and  wattled  in  on  three  sides,  leav- 
ing one  open  for  ventilation;  the  lower  part,  which  had 
been  arranged  for  the  folding  of  the  stock  at  night  and 
during  the  rainy  season,  was  also  wattled  in  with  cocoa- 
nut  boughs  on  three  sides,  and  made  a  very  comfortable 
retreat  for  the  animals.     The  winding  path  to  the  store- 
house was  also  cut  through  the  cocoa-nut  grove,  but  the 
stumps  were  not  removed,  as  they  could  not  spare  the  time. 
All  the  stores  that  they  had  brought  round  were  put  into 
the  storehouse,  and  they  were  now  ready  to  take  up  some 
other  job.     It  was,  however,  agreed  that,  on  the  day  after 
the  building  was  finished,  they  should  all  have   a   day's 
holiday,  which  they  certainly  did  require.     William  caught 
some  fish,  a  turtle  was  speared  and  wheeled  up  to  the 
house  ;  and  they  not  only  had  a  holiday,  but  a  feast.     Mr 
Seagrave  and  William  had  been  walking  on  the  beach  with 


Masterman  Ready  163 

Mrs  Seagrave  and  the  children,  while  Ready  was  assisting 
Juno  in  cutting  up  the  turtle ;  they  had  shown  Mrs  Sea- 
grave  the  storehouse,  and  the  goats  with  the  four  kids  had 
been  led  there,  as  there  was  no  longer  any  occasion  for 
them  to  remain  in  the  house.  The  weather  was  beautiful, 
and  they  agreed  to  go  and  examine  the  garden.  They 
found  that  the  seeds  had  not  yet  commenced  sprouting, 
notwithstanding  the  heavy  rains. 

"I  should  have  thought  that  so  much  rain  would  have 
made  them  come  up,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"No,  my  dear,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave;  "  they  require 
more  of  the  sun  than  they  will  have  till  the  rainy  season 
is  nearly  over ;  a  few  days  like  this,  and  they  will  soon 
be  above  ground." 

"  Let  us  sit  down  on  this  knoll,  it  is  quite  dry,"  said 
Mrs  Seagrave.  "  I  little  thought,"  continued  she,  taking 
Mr  Seagrave's  hand  after  she  was  seated,  "  that  I  could 
have  been  so  happy  in  a  desert  island.  How  fast  the  time 
flies.  I  thought  I  should  feel  the  loss  of  books  very 
severely,  but  I  really  do  not  think  that  I  could  have  found 
time  to  read." 

"  Employment  is  a  source  of  happiness,  especially  when 
you  are  usefully  employed.  An  industrious  person  is 
always  a  happy  person,  provided  he  is  not  obliged  to 
work  too  hard ;  and  even  where  you  have  cause  for 
unhappiness,  nothing  makes  you  forget  it  so  soon  as 
occupation.  I  really  believe  that  an  idle  person  is  never 
truly  happy,  and  that  too  much  work  is  preferable  to 
having  nothing  whatever  to  do." 

"But,  mamma,  we  shall  not  always  have  so  much  to  do 
as  we  have  now,"  said  William. 

"  Of  course  not,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  ;  "  and  then  we 
shall  find  our  books  a  great  source  of  enjoyment.  I  am 
anxious  to  go  to  the  other  side  of  the  island,  and  see  what 
have  been  spared  to  us,  and  whether  they  have  been  much 
damaged ;  but  that  cannot  be  until  after  the  rains  are 
over,  and  we  can  use  the  boat  again." 

"  What  are  you  about,  Tommy  ?" 


164  Masterman  Ready 

"  I'm  killing  little  beetles,"  replied  Tommy  ;  "  I  kill 
plenty." 

"But  why  should  you  kill  them,  Tommy? — they  don't 
hurt  you." 

"I  don't  like  beetles." 

"That's  not  a  reason,  Tommy;  you  must  not  kill 
whatever  you  don't  like.  If  they  bite  you,  or  sting  you, 
then  you  may  destroy  them ;  but  it  is  very  cruel  to  kill 
animals  when  there  is  no  occasion.  "Who  made  those 
beetles,  Tommy  ?  Who  made  everything  ?  " 

"  God,"  replied  Tommy  after  a  little  while. 

"  Yes,  God  made  them,  and  intended  them  to  live  out 
their  short  lives  ;  he  made  all  creatures,  and  he  gave  them 
to  us  for  our  use,  but  not  to  abuse  his  goodness,  by 
wantonly  destroying  them.  Do  you  understand  me, 
Tommy  ?  " 

"  Juno  kills  flies,"  replied  Tommy. 

"  Yes,  because  it  is  sometimes  necessary  \  but  she  does 
not  kill  them  merely  because  she  has  nothing  else  to  do  : 
remember  what  I  have  said  to  you,  Tommy.  We  may 
well  remember  that  they  are  God's  creatures,  my  dear 
boy,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  turning  to  William :  "  look  at 
this  minute  insect  which  is  crawling  on  my  finger ;  what 
a  number  of  legs  it  has  !  " 

"  Yes ;  I  have  seen  something  like  it  in  old  books. 
How  fast  it  runs  with  its  little  legs  ;  thinner  than  hairs — 
how  wonderful ! " 

"  Yes,  William,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,  "  we  have  only 
to  examine  into  any  portion,  however  small,  of  creation, 
and  we  are  immediately  filled  with  wonder ;  we  have  only 
to  look  around  us,  wherever  we  may  be,  and  we  have 
food  for  contemplation.  There  is  nothing  which  points 
out  to  us  the  immensity  and  the  omniscience  of  the 
Almighty  more  than  the  careful  provision  which  has  been 
made  by  him  for  the  smallest  and  most  insignificant  of 
created  beings.  This  little  animal  is  perhaps  one  of  many 
millions,  who  have  their  term  of  existence,  and  their 
enjoyment,  as  well  as  we  have.     What  is  it  ? — an  insect 


Masterman  Ready  165 

of  the  minutest  kind,  a  nothing  in  creation  ;  yet  has  the 
same  care  been  bestowed  upon  its  formation :  these  little 
legs,  hardly  visible,  have  their  muscles  and  their  sinews  ; 
and  every  other  portion  of  its  body  is  as  complete,  as 
fearfully  and  wonderfully  fashioned  as  our  own.  Such 
is  his  will ;  and  what  insects  we  ought  to  feel  our- 
selves, when  compared  to  the  God  of  power  and  of 
love  ! 

"Let  me  also  point  out  to  you,  William,"  continued  Mr 
Seagrave,  "  the  infinity  of  his  creative  power,  displayed 
in  endless  variety,  perceptible  even  in  objects  of  the  same 
nature,  and  to  careless  eyes  of  the  same  form  and  mould. 
Amongst  the  millions  of  men  that  have  been  born,  and 
died,  never  yet  were  there  seen  two  faces  or  two  bodies 
exactly  alike ;  nay,  if  you  could  examine  the  leaves  upon 
the  trees,  although  there  may  be  millions  upon  millions  in 
a  forest,  you  could  not  discover  two  leaves  of  precisely  the 
same  form  and  make." 

"I  believe  not,"  replied  William,  "I  have  often  tried  in 
vain ;  yet  some  animals  are  so  much  alike,  that  I  cannot 
perceive  any  difference  between  them — sheep,  for  instance." 

"Very  true;  you  cannot  tell  the  difference,  because  you 
have  not  examined  them  ;  but  a  shepherd,  if  he  has  seven 
hundred  sheep  under  his  care,  will  know  every  one  of 
them  from  the  others  ;  which  proves  that  there  must  be  a 
great  difference  between  them,  although  not  perceptible  to 
the  casual  observer ;  and  the  same,  no  doubt,  is  the  case 
with  all  other  classes  of  animals.  In  everything  made, 
his  variety  is  infinite. 

"  And  observe  again,  my  dear  William,  what  effect  of 
human  ingenuity  can  approach  to  the  perfection  of  struc- 
ture, in  the  simplest  formation  by  the  Almighty  hand. 
Look  at  this  small  flower  ;  examine  the  beauty  of  its  colour 
and  form ;  consider  the  lavish  profusion  with  which 
myriads  of  such  flowers  spring  up  to  adorn  the  earth,  and 
yet  how  matchless  !  Does  not  our  Redeemer  beautifully 
point  it  out,  where  he  says,  '  Consider  the  lilies  of  the 
field  ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin ;  and  yet  I  say 


1 66  Masterman  Ready 

unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not 
arrayed  like  one  of  these.'  " 

"  Yes,  Master  William,"  observed  Ready ;  "I  have 
often  wondered  over  the  things  that  I  have  seen,  and  I 
have  even  in  my  ignorance  felt  what  your  papa  has  now 
told  you  ;  and  it  has  brought  into  my  mind  the  words  of 
Job  :  '  When  I  consider,  I  am  afraid  of  him.' " 

"  Papa,"  said  William,  after  a  pause  in  the  conversation, 
"  you  have  referred  to  the  variety — the  wonderful  variety 
— shown  in  the  works  of  the  Deity.  Tell  me  some  other 
prominent  feature  in  creation." 

"  One  of  the  most  remarkable  in  creation,  William,  is 
order." 

"Point  out  to  me,  papa,  where  and  in  what  that  quality 
is  most  observable." 

"  Everywhere  and  in  everything,  my  dear  boy  ;  whether 
we  cast  our  eyes  up  to  the  heavens  above  us,  or  penetrate 
into  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  the  principle  of  order  is 
everywhere — everything  is  governed  by  fixed  laws,  which 
cannot  be  disobeyed :  we  have  order  in  the  seasons,  in  the 
tides,  in  the  movement  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  in  the 
instinct  of  animals,  in  the  duration  of  life  assigned  to  each ; 
from  the  elephant,  who  lives  more  than  a  century,  to  the 
ephemeral  fly,  whose  whole  existence  is  limited  to  an 
hour. 

"Inanimate  nature  is  subject  to  the  same  unvarying 
laws.  Metals,  and  rocks,  and  earths,  and  all  the  mineral 
kingdom,  follow  one  law  in  their  crystallisation,  never 
varying  from  the  form  assigned  to  them ;  each  atom 
depositing  itself  in  the  allotted  place,  until  that  form  is 
complete :  we  have  order  in  production,  order  in  decay ; 
but  all  is  simple  to  him  by  whom  the  planets  were  thrown 
out  into  space,  and  were  commanded  to  roll  in  their 
eternal  orbits." 

"  I  never  do  look  up  on  a  starry  night  without  feeling 
inclined  to  pray,"  said  William.  "  The  stars  in  the 
heavens  are  beautiful,  but  they  are  not  placed  there  in 
order." 


Masterman  Ready  167 

"The  fixed  stars  do  not  appear  to  us  to  be  in  order — 
that  is,  they  do  not  stud  the  heavens  at"  equal  distances  from 
each  other  as  we  view  them ;  but  you  must  recollect  that 
they  are  at  very  different  distances  from  this  earth, 
spreading  over  an  infinity  of  space  ;  and  we  have  reason 
to  suppose  that  this  our  earth  is  but  a  mere  unit  in  the 
multitude  of  created  worlds,  only  one  single  portion  of  an 
infinite  whole.  As  the  stars  now  appear  to  us,  they  are 
useful  to  the  mariner  in  enabling  him  to  cross  the  trackless 
seas  ;  and  to  the  astronomer,  who  calculates  the  times  and 
seasons.  Depend  upon  it,  William,  it  is  for  wise  reasons 
that  we  view  the  stars  as  we  now  do,  so  profusely  scattered 
in  the  heavens." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  papa,  by  saying  that  this  world  of 
ours  is  supposed  to  be  but  one  of  a  multitude  of  created 
worlds  ?  " 

"  William,  our  little  knowledge  is  bounded  to  this  our 
own  earth,  which  we  have  ascertained  very  satisfactorily  to 
be  but  one  of  several  planets  revolving  round  our  own  sun. 
I  say  our  own  sun,  because  we  have  every  reason  to  suppose 
that  each  of  those  fixed  stars,  and  myriads  now  not  visible 
to  the  naked  eye,  are  all  suns,  bright  and  glorious  as  our 
own,  and  of  course  throwing  light  and  heat  upon  unseen 
planets  revolving  round  them.  Does  not  this  give  you 
some  idea  of  the  vastness,  the  power,  and  the  immensity  of 
God?" 

"  One  almost  loses  oneself  in  the  imagination,"  said  Mrs 
Seagrave. 

"  Yes,  dearest,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  -,  "  and  it  has  been 
surmised  by  some,  who  have  felt  in  their  hearts  the 
magnificence  of  the  Great  Architect,  that  there  must  be 
some  point  of  view  in  space  where  all  those  glorious  suns, 
which  seem  to  us  confused  in  the  heavens  above  us,  will 
appear  all  symmetrically  arranged,  will  there  be  viewed  in 
regular  order,  whirling  round  in  one  stupendous  and 
perfect  system  of  beauty  and  design ;  and  where  can 
that  be,  if  it  fcs  not  in  that  heaven  which  we  hope  to 
gain  ? " 


1 68  Masterman  Ready- 

There  was  a  silence  for  a  few  moments,  when  William 
said,  "  They  say  that  there  are  people  who  are  atheists, 
papa.  How  can  they  be  so  if  they  only  look  around  them  ? 
I'm  sure  a  mere  examination  of  the  works  of  God  ought  to 
make  them  good  Christians." 

"  No,  my  child,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  there  you  are 
in  error.  Few  deny  the  existence  of  a  deity,  and  an 
examination  of  his  works  may  make  them  good  and  devout 
men,  but  not  Christians.  There  are  good  men  to  be  found 
under  every  denomination,  whether  they  be  Jews,  Maho- 
medans,  or  Pagans  ;  but  they  are  not  Christians." 
"  Very  true,  papa." 

"  Faith  in  things  seen,  if  I  may  use  the  term,  my  dear 
child — faith  produced  by  an  examination  of  the  works  of 
creation — may  induce  men  to  acknowledge  the  power  and 
goodness  of  the  Almighty,  but  it  will  not  make  them  wise  to 
salvation  ;  for  that  end,  it  is  necessary,  as  the  Apostle  saith, 
to  have  faith  in  things  not  seen.  There  is  little  merit 
in  acknowledging  what  is  evident  to  our  senses  :  the  faith 
required  of  us  as  Christians,  and  to  which  are  attached  the 
great  and  gracious  promises  of  the  Gospel,  is  faith  in  a  sub- 
lime, and  to  us  incomprehensible  mystery — the  incarnation 
of  the  Son  of  God,  who  descended  upon  earth  and  took  the 
form  of  man,  and  actually  suffered  for  our  redemption. 
Still  the  examination  of  the  works  of  God  will  always 
produce  an  effect,  which,  by  the  divine  blessing,  may  tend 
eventually  to  make  those  Christians  who  as  yet  are  not  so. 
The  visible  works  of  the  Creator  prove  beyond  all  doubt 
his  stupendous  power  and  his  overflowing  love  ;  and  once 
convinced  of  these,  we  ought  to  be  better  prepared  to 
receive  those  tenets  of  a  Christian's  faith,  which  are  to  us 
incomprehensible,  but  which  nothing  but  his  love  to 
us  would  have  suggested.  What  saith  the  Apostle  ? 
'  Herein  is  love — not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  he 
loved  us,  and  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our 
sins.'"  i 


Masterman  Ready  169 


Chapter  XXXVI 

"  Well,  Ready,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  "  after  breakfast, 
which  is  to  be  our  next  job  ?  " 

"  Why,  sir,  I  think  we  had  better  all  set  to,  to  collect 
the  branches  and  ends  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees  cut  down, 
and  stack  them  for  fuel ;  Master  Tommy  and  Juno  have 
already  made  a  good  large  pile,  and  I  think,  by  to-night, 
we  shall  have  made  the  stack,  and  so  arranged  it,  that 
the  rain  will  not  get  into  it  much.  After  that,  as  the 
weather  will  not  permit  us  to  leave  the  house  for  any 
time,  we  will  cut  our  salt-pan  and  make  our  fish-pond ; 
they  will  take  a  week  at  least,  and  then  we  shall  have 
little  more  to  do  near  home.  I  think  the  strength  of  the 
rains  is  over  already,  and  perhaps  in  a  fortnight  we  may 
venture  to  walk  through  the  wood,  and  examine  what 
we  have  saved  from  the  wreck  ;  we  shall  have  plenty 
to  do  in  sorting  and  preparing  the  different  articles  before 
the  fine  weather  returns,  and  we  can  then  bring  them 
round  in  the  boat  and  fill  our  storehouse." 

"And  we  are  to  explore  the  island;  are  we  not, 
Ready  ? "  said  William.     "  I  long  to  do  that." 

"  Yes,  Master  William,  but  that  must  be  almost  the 
last  job  ;  for  we  shall  be  away  for  two  or  three  nights, 
perhaps,  and  we  must  look  out  for  fine  weather.  We 
will,  however,  do  that  before  we  bring  the  stores  round 
in  the  boat." 

"  But  how  are  we  to  make  the  salt-pan,  Ready  ?  We 
must  cut  it  out  of  the  solid  rock." 

"  Yes,  Master  William  ;  but  I  have  three  or  four  of 
what  they  call  cold  chisels — those  short,  thick  pieces  of 
iron,  with  one  end  sharpened,  which  are  in  the  storehouse 
— and  with  one  of  them  and  a  hammer,  we  shall  get  on 
faster  than  you  think ;  for  the  coral  rock,  although  hard 
at  the  surface,  is  very  soft  a  little  below  it." 

The  whole  of  that  day  was  employed  in  piling  up  the 


170  Masterman  Ready 

cocoa-nut  branches  and  wood.  Ready  made  a  square 
stack,  like  a  haystack,  with  a  gable  top,  over  which  he 
tied  the  long  branches,  so  that  the  rain  would  pour  off  it. 

"  There,"  said  Ready,  as  he  came  down  the  ladder, 
"  that  will  be  our  provision  for  next  year  ;  we  have  quite 
enough  left  to  go  on  with  till  the  rainy  season  is  over, 
and  we  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  collecting  it  afterwards 
when  the  weather  is  dry ;  this  must  be  kept  for  the  next 
rainy  season." 

Mr  Seagrave  sighed  and  looked  grave  ;  Ready  observed 
it,  and  said,  "  Mr  Seagrave,  it  is  not  that  we  may  want  it  ; 
but  still  we  must  prepare  for  the  next  rainy  season,  in  case 
we  do  want  it.  That  Captain  Osborn,  if  he  lives,  will 
send  to  look  for  us,  I  have  no  doubt ;  nay,  I  believe  that 
Mackintosh  will  do  the  same ;  but  still  you  must  not 
forget  that  they  all  may  have  perished,  although  we  have 
been  so  mercifully  preserved.  A  small  boat  has  a  poor 
chance  when  it  has  to  run  many  hundred  miles  in  the  open 
sea  •,  and  if  they  should  have  perished,  we  may  remain 
here  for  years  before  we  are  discovered.  We  must  put 
our  trust  in  God,  sir." 

"We  must,  Ready  ;  and  if  it  is  his  will,  we  must  not 
murmur.  I  have  schooled  myself  as  much  as  possible ; 
but  thoughts  will  come,  in  spite  of  my  endeavours  to 
restrain  them." 

"  Of  course  they  will,  sir  ;  that's  natural :  however,  sir, 
you  must  hope  for  the  best ;  fretting  is  no  good,  and  it  is 
sinful." 

"  I  feel  it  is,  Ready  ;  and  when  I  see  how  patiently  and 
ever  happy  my  wife  is  under  such  privations,  I  am  angry 
with  myself." 

"  A  woman,  sir,  bears  adversity  better  than  a  man.  A 
woman  is  all  love,  and  if  she  has  but  her  husband  and 
children  with  her,  and  in  good  health,  she  will  make 
herself  happy  almost  anywhere :  but  men  are  different ; 
they  cannot  bear  being  shut  out  of  the  world  as  you  are 
now;  although  perhaps  they  would  be  happier  for  not 
being  mixed  up  with  it,  if  they  could  only  think  so." 


Masterman  Ready  171 

"  It  is  our  ambition  which  makes  us  unhappy,  Ready," 
replied  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  but  let  us  say  no  more  about  it : 
God  must  dispose  of  me  as  he  thinks  fit.  The  sun  has 
set ;  let  us  go  home  :  come,  William." 

After  supper,  Ready,  being  requested  by  William, 
continued  his  narrative  : — 

"  I  left  off,  if  I  recollect  right,  Master  William,  just  as 
the  Hottentot,  with  the  cattle  under  his  care,  had  fright- 
ened away  the  baboons  who  were  tormenting  us.  Well, 
sir,  we  came  out  of  the  cave  and  sat  down  under  the  rock, 
so  that  the  Hottentot  could  not  see  us,  and  we  had  a  sort 
of  council  of  war.  Romer  was  for  going  back  and  giving 
ourselves  up  again ;  for  he  said  it  was  ridiculous  to  be 
wandering  about,  without  any  arms  to  defend  ourselves 
against  wild  beasts,  and  that  we  might  fall  in  with  some- 
thing worse  than  the  baboons  very  soon ;  and  he  was 
right.  It  would  have  been  the  wisest  thing  which  we 
could  have  done  ;  but  Hastings  said,  that  if  we  went  back 
we  should  be  laughed  at,  and  the  idea  of  being  laughed  at 
made  us  all  agree  that  we  would  not.  You  see,  Master 
William,  the  fear  of  being  laughed  at  is  the  occasion  of 
not  only  boys,  but  even  men,  doing  very  foolish  things. 
We  had  done  wrong,  and  we  would  not  do  right  because 
we  were  afraid  of  ridicule ;  in  fact,  we  were  determined 
to  risk  our  lives  and  run  into  any  danger  and  hardship, 
because  we  could  not  bear  to  be  laughed  at  for  our  folly, 
as  we  deserved  to  be.  Bear  this  in  mind,  Master  William, 
and  never  let  the  fear  of  ridicule  induce  you  to  do  what  is 
wrong  ;  or  if  you  have  done  wrong,  prevent  you  from 
returning  to  what  is  your  duty." 

"  Many  thanks  for  your  advice,  Ready ;  I  hope  William 
will  not  forget  it,"  said  Mr  Seagrave  ;  "  more  people  are 
laughed  into  error  than  persuaded  into  it." 

"  Well,  sir,  such  was  our  reason  for  not  giving  up  our 
mad  scheme  ;  and  having  so  decided,  the  next  point  of 
consultation  between  us  was,  how  we  were  to  procure 
arms  and  ammunition,  which  we  could  not  do  without. 
As  we  were  talking  this  over,  I  peeped  from  behind  the 


172  Masterman  Ready 

rock,  to  see  where  the  Hottentot  might  be  ;  I  perceived 
that  he  had  laid  himself  down,  and  wrapped  himself  up  in 
his  kross,  a  mantle  of  sheep-skins  which  they  always  wear. 
Now  we  had  observed  that  he  carried  his  musket  in  his 
hand,  when  we  first  saw  him,  as  the  Hottentots  always  go 
out  armed,  and  I  pointed  out  to  Hastings  and  Romer,  that 
if  he  was  asleep,  we  might  get  possession  of  his  musket 
without  his  perceiving  it.  This  was  a  good  idea,  and 
Hastings  said  he  would  crawl  to  him  on  his  hands  and 
knees,  while  we  remained  behind  the  rock.  He  did  so 
very  cautiously,  and  found  the  man's  head  covered  up  in 
his  kross  and  fast  asleep  ;  so  there  was  no  fear,  for  the 
Hottentots  are  very  hard  to  wake  at  any  time ;  that  we 
knew  well.  Hastings  first  took  the  musket  and  carried  it 
away  out  of  the  reach  of  the  Hottentot,  and  then  he 
returned  to  him,  cut  the  leather  thong  which  slung  his 
powder-horn  and  ammunition,  and  retreated  with  all  of 
them  without  disturbing  the  man  from  his  sleep.  We 
were  quite  overjoyed  at  this  piece  of  good  luck,  and 
determined  to  walk  very  cautiously  some  distance  from 
where  the  Hottentot  lay,  that  in  case  he  awoke,  he  should 
not  see  us.  Keeping  our  eyes  about  in  every  direction, 
lest  we  should  meet  with  anybody  else,  we  proceeded 
nearly  a  mile  towards  Table  Bay,  when  we  fell  in  with 
a  stream  of  water.  This  was  another  happy  discovery, 
for  we  were  very  thirsty ;  so  we  concealed  ourselves  near 
to  the  stream  after  we  had  quenched  our  thirst,  and  made 
a  dinner  off  the  provisions  we  had  brought  with  us." 

"  But,  Ready,  did  you  not  do  wrong  to  steal  the 
Hottentot's  musket  ? " 

"  No,  Master  William ;  in  that  instance  it  could  not  be 
considered  as  a  theft.  We  were  in  an  enemy's  country, 
trying  to  escape  ;  we  were  therefore  just  as  much  at  war 
with  the  country  as  we  were  when  they  took  us  prisoners, 
and  we  no  more  stole  the  musket  than  they  could  be  said 
to  have  stolen  our  ship.     Am  I  not  right,  Mr  Seagrave  ?  " 

"  I  think  so :  when  two  nations  are  at  war,  the  property 
of  either,  when  taken,  is  confiscated.     In  your  position, 


Masterman  Ready  173 

you  were  justified  in  appropriating  any  property  you 
might  get  hold  of,  which  would  further  your  attempts  to 
escape  ;  although  I  should  not  think  you  would  have  been 
morally  justified  if  you  had  murdered  and  robbed,  or  even 
robbed  wantonly." 

"  Exactly  so  ;  but,  in  attempting  our  escape,  had  it 
been  necessary  to  have  either  surrendered  ourselves  as 
prisoners  again,  or  have  taken  the  life  of  those  who  would 
have  made  us  captives,  we  should  have  been  justified  in 
killing  the  parties." 

"  I  believe  you  are  justified  in  what  may  seem  extreme 
acts,  for  the  recovery  of  your  liberty,  after  you  have  been 
made  prisoners.     It  has  always  been  so  considered." 

"  Well,  sir,  to  go  on  :  we  waited  till  dusk,  and  then 
we  continued  our  march  towards  False  Bay  as  fast  as 
we  could.  We  knew  that  there  were  farmers  down  in 
the  valley,  or  rather  the  sides  of  the  hills,  and  we  hoped 
to  obtain,  by  some  means  or  other,  two  more  muskets. 
It  was  near  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  with  a  bright  moon, 
when  we  had  a  sight  of  the  water  in  False  Bay,  and  soon 
afterwards  we  heard  the  baying  of  a  large  dog,  and  not 
far  from  us  we  distinguished  two  or  three  farmhouses, 
with  their  cattle-folds  and  orchards.  We  then  looked  for 
a  hiding-place,  where  we  might  remain  till  the  morning  ; 
we  found  one  between  some  large  pieces  of  rock.  We 
agreed  that  one  should  watch  while  the  other  two  slept ; 
this  Hastings  undertook  to  do,  as  he  was  not  inclined 
to  sleep.  At  daylight  he  woke  Romer  and  me,  and  we 
made  our  breakfast.  From  the  place  we  were  concealed 
in,  we  had  a  bird's  eye  view  of  the  farmhouse,  and  of 
what  was  going  on. 

"  The  farmhouse  and  buildings  just  below  us  were 
much  smaller  than  the  other  two,  which  were  more 
distant.  We  watched  the  people  as  they  went  about. 
In  about  an  hour  the  Hottentots  came  out,  and  we 
perceived  that  they  were  yoking  the  oxen  to  the  waggon  ; 
they  yoked  twelve  pair,  and  then  the  Hottentot  driver  got 
in  and  drove  off  towards  Cape  Town,  accompanied  by  a 


174  Masterman  Ready- 

Hottentot  lad  and  the  big  dog.  Soon  after  that,  another 
Hottentot  drove  the  cows  up  the  valley  to  feed  ;  and  then 
a  Dutch  woman  came  out  of  the  house  with  two  children, 
and  fed  the  poultry. 

"We  watched  for  another  hour,  and  then  the  farmer 
himself  made  his  appearance,  with  a  pipe  in  his  mouth, 
and  sat  down  on  a  bench.  When  his  pipe  was  out,  he 
called  to  the  house,  and  a  Hottentot  woman  came  to 
him  with  more  tobacco  and  a  light.  During  the  whole 
of  the  day,  we  did  not  see  any  other  people  about 
the  house,  so  we  concluded  that  there  were  no  more 
than  the  farmer,  his  wife,  the  Hottentot  woman,  and 
two  children.  About  two  hours  after  noon  the  farmer 
went  to  the  stable  and  led  out  his  horse,  mounted, 
and  rode  away ;  we  saw  him  speak  to  the  Hottentot 
woman  when  he  rode  off,  and  she  soon  after  went 
down  the  valley  with  a  basket  on  her  head,  and  a 
long  knife  in  her  hand.  Then  Hastings  said  it  was 
time  that  we  moved,  for  there  was  but  one  woman  in  the 
house,  and  we  could  easily  overpower  her  and  get  what 
we  wanted  ;  still  there  was  a  great  risk,  as  she  might  give 
the  alarm,  and  we  should  have  to  escape  in  the  day-time, 
and  might  be  seen  and  taken  prisoners  again.  However, 
as  it  was  our  only  chance,  we  resolved  to  go  down  to  the 
farmhouse  very  cautiously,  and  be  all  ready  to  seize  any 
opportunity.  We  crept  down  the  hill,  and  gained  the 
fence,  which  was  at  the  back  of  the  farmhouse,  without 
being  discovered  ;  we  remained  there  for  about  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  when,  to  our  great  joy,  we  observed  the 
farmer's  wife  go  out  of  the  house,  leading  a  child  in  each 
hand ;  apparently  she  was  going  to  visit  one  of  her  neigh- 
bours, for  she  went  in  the  direction  of  one  of  the  other 
farms.  As  soon  as  she  was  a  hundred  yards  off,  Hastings 
crept  softly  through  the  fence,  and  entered  the  farmhouse 
by  the  back  door ;  he  came  out  again,  and  made  a  sign  for 
us  to  come  in.  We  found  him  already  in  possession  of  a 
rifle  and  a  musket,  which  had  been  hanging  over  the  fire- 
place, and  we  soon  handed  down  the  powder-horns  and 


Masterman  Ready  175 

ammunition  pouches,  which  were  hung  up  at  a  different 
part  of  the  room,  away  from  the  fire-place. 

"  Having  gained  these,  Hastings  set  me  to  watch  at  the 
front  door,  Jest  anybody  should  return,  while  Romer  and 
he  looked  out  for  something  else  in  the  way  of  provisions. 
We  got  possession  of  three  hams,  and  a  large  loaf  of  bread 
as  big   as  a  small  washing-tub.     With  these  articles  we 
made  our  way  safe  back  to  our  retreat.     We  then  looked 
round,  and  could  see  nobody  in  any  direction,  so  we  pre- 
sumed that  we  were  not  discovered.     As  there  was  a  sort 
of  ravine  full  of  rocks  dividing  the  hill,  which  we  were 
obliged  to  pass  before  we  could  get  into  the  valley,  unless 
we  went  down  close  to  the  farmhouse,  we  agreed  that  it 
would  be  better  at  once  to  cross  it  during  the  day-time,  so 
that  we  should  get  that  difficulty  over,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  be  further  from  the  farmhouse.     We  did  so ;  and 
found   a   very  secure  hiding-place,  where  we  lay  down, 
waiting  for  the  sun  to  set  before  we  started  on  our  journey 
into  the  interior.     We  had  not  been  there  an  hour,  before 
we  heard  the  shrill  cry  of  our  friends,  the  baboons,  on  the 
hill  which  we  had  left ;  and,  after  that,  we  perceived  them 
going  down  towards  the  farmhouse,  and  very  busy  taking 
the  fruit  out  of  the  orchard,  throwing  it  from  one  to  the 
other  as  fast  as  they  could ;  for,  you  see,  these  cunning 
animals  had  found  out  that  the  coast  was  clear,  and  did  not 
lose  so  good  an  opportunity.     They  were  still  busy  with 
their  work,  when  the  Hottentot  came  in  sight  with  the 
cows ;  and  when   he  approached  the  farmhouse,  they  all 
gave  a  loud  scream,   and  scampered  off  as  fast  as   they 
could.     Then,  the  Dutchwoman  was    seen  coming  back, 
and  when  she  had  gone  into  the  house,  and  spoken  to  the 
Hottentot,  we  heard  her  crying,  as  she  came  out  again  by 
the  back  door.     About  an  hour  before  dusk,  the  Dutch 
farmer  came  home  on  horseback,  and,  in  a  few  minutes, 
we  knew,  by  the  shrieking  and  screams,  that  he  was  beat- 
ing his  wife  :  for  you  see,  sir  (that  is,  we  suppose  it  was 
so),  by  her  leaving  the  house,  the  baboons  had  ventured  to 
rob  the  orchard ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  it  was  taken  for 


176  Masterman  Ready- 

granted  that  they  had  carried  off  the  different  articles  miss- 
ing in  the  house  ;  for  they  will  take  anything  ;  so,  if  it  was 
unfortunate  for  the  poor  woman,  it  was  very  lucky  for  us, 
as  it  removed  the  suspicion  of  our  being  there,  and 
occasioned  no  search  after  us ;  so,  we  quite  forgave  the 
baboons  all  the  annoyance  they  had  given  us  in  the  morn- 
ing, in  consequence  of  the  good  turn  they  had  done  us  in 
the  evening.  I  think  I  had  better  leave  off  now,  Master 
William,  as  it  is  getting  late." 


Chapter  XXXVII 

THe  fish-pond  was  commenced  the  next  morning.  Ready, 
Mr  Seagrave,  and  William  went  down  together  to  the 
beach,  and,  after  much  examination,  chose  a  spot  about  one 
hundred  yards  from  the  turtle  pond,  as  most  eligible  for 
the  purpose  ;  the  water  being  shallow,  so  that  at  the  part 
farthest  from  the  shore  there  would  not  be  more  than  three 
feet. 

"  Now,  sir,"  said  Ready,  "  this  is  a  very  simple  job  ;  all 
we  have  to  do  is,  to  collect  small  rocks  and  stones,  pile 
them  up  wall-fashion  inside,  and  with  a  slope  outside,  so 
as  to  break  the  force  of  the  waves  when  the  water  is 
a  little  rough :  of  course,  the  water  will  find  its  way 
through  the  stones,  and  will  be  constantly  changed.  It's 
very  true,  that  we  can  at  most  times  catch  fish  when  we 
want  them,  but  it  is  not  always  that  we  can  spare  the  time, 
so  it's  just  as  well  to  have  always  a  certain  quantity  at 
hand,  to  take  out  at  a  moment's  warning ;  and  we  can,  of 
course,  catch  them  and  put  them  in  here  when  we  have 
nothing  else  to  do.  Juno  will  be  able  to  come  down  and 
take  them  out  with  a  spear,  when  we  are  away  and  she 
wants  something  for  dinner.  There's  nothing  like  having 
a  ready  supply  of  provisions  at  all  times." 

"  But  there  are  few  stones  about  here,  Ready  ;  we  shall 
have  to  fetch  them  a  long  way,"  said  William. 


Masterman  Ready  177 

"  Well,  then,  Master  William,  let  us  get  the  wheels 
down  here,  and  then  we  can  carry  a  quantity  at  a  time." 

"  But  how  shall  we  carry  them,  Ready  ? " 

"  We  will  sling  a  tub  on  the  axle ;  I  will  go  up  and  get 
that  ready  and  bring  it  down ;  in  the  meantime,  you  and 
Mr  Seagrave  can  collect  all  the  stones  which  are  near  at 
hand." 

Ready  soon  returned  with  the  wheels,  and  the  tub  slung 
with  rope  on  the  axle,  and  by  that  means  they  found  that 
they  could  collect  the  stones  very  fast ;  Mr  Seagrave  and 
William  bringing  them,  and  Ready  in  the  water,  building 
up  the  wall. 

"  We  have  quite  forgot  another  job  which  we  must  put 
in  hand,  sir,"  observed  Ready  •,  "  but  the  fish-pond  reminds 
me  of  it." 

"What  is  that,  Ready?" 

"  A  bathing  place  for  the  children,  and  indeed  for  us 
all  j  we  shall  want  it  when  the  hot  weather  comes  on,  but 
we  will  put  it  off  till  then.  I  can  tell  you,  sir,  that 
although  I  don't  mind  building  this  wall  in  the  shallow 
water,  I  shall  be  very  careful  when  the  water  is  up  to  my 
knees,  for  you  don't  know  how  bold  the  sharks  are  in  these 
latitudes.  When  I  was  at  St  Helena,  not  very  long  ago, 
we  had  a  melancholy  proof  of  it." 

"  Tell  us  the  story,  Ready." 

"  Why,  sir,  I  could  not  have  believed  it  possible.  I  did 
know  an  instance,  something  of  the  kind,  when  I  was  in 
the  East  Indies ;  but  that  was  not  a  shark,  but  an  alligator. 
A  Dutchman,  at  Trincomalee,  was  standing  on  the  beach, 
fishing  in  the  harbour  ;  an  alligator  swam  right  up  to  him, 
till  his  snout  was  within  two  feet  of  him  ;  but  the  Dutch- 
man being  on  shore,  did  not  care  for  him,  when,  all  of  a 
sudden,  the  alligator  turned  short  round  in  the  water,  and 
in  so  doing,  with  his  tail,  he  tripped  up  the  Dutchman  and 
threw  him  into  the  water,  and  then  laid  hold  of  him  and 
dived  down." 

"  Well,  but  a  shark  could  not  do  that ;  could  he  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir.     Two  soldiers  were  standing  on  the  rocks  at 

R  M 


17S  Masterman  Ready 

St  Helena ;  the  rocks  were  out  of  the  water,  but  the 
swell  just  broke  over  them.  Two  sharks  swam  up  to 
them  in  the  same  way  as  the  alligator  did,  and  one  of  them, 
with  a  blow  of  his  tail,  turning  round  the  same  way,  tripped 
one  of  them  off  into  the  water,  which  was  very  deep.  His 
comrade  was  very  much  frightened  and  ran  to  the  barracks 
to  tell  the  story.  About  a  week  afterwards,  a  schooner 
was  in  Sandy  Bay,  on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  and  the 
people  seeing  a  very  large  shark  under  the  stern,  put  out  a 
hook  with  a  piece  of  pork,  and  caught  him  ;  they  opened 
him,  and  found  inside  of  him,  to  their  horror,  the  whole  of 
the  body  of  the  soldier,  except  the  legs  below  the  knees  : 
the  monster  had  swallowed  him  whole,  with  the  exception 
of  his  legs,  which  had  been  nipped  off  when  it  closed  its 
jaws.  I  saw  the  maw  and  the  back-bone  of  the  animal  at 
the  barracks,  and  it  certainly  was  the  largest  brute  of  the 
kind  that  I  ever  witnessed  in  my  life." 

"  I  really  had  no  idea  that  they  were  so  bold,  Ready." 

"  It  is  a  fact,  I  assure  you,  sir ;  and  therefore  we 
cannot  be  too  careful  how  we  go  into  the  water  :  you  saw 
how  soon  the  poor  pig  was  despatched." 

"I  wonder  how  the  pigs  get  on,  Ready,"  said  William. 

"  I  dare  say  they  have  littered  by  this  time,  sir  ;  they 
have  no  want  of  food." 

"  But  can  they  eat  the  cocoa-nuts  ? " 

"  Not  the  old  ones,  but  they  can  the  young  ones,  which 
are  constantly  dropping  from  the  trees,  and  then  there's 
plenty  of  roots  for  them.  If  we  stay  long  here  we  shall 
soon  have  good  sport  hunting  them  •  but  we  must  be  very 
careful,  Master  William  -,  for  although  they  were  tame 
pigs  when  we  brought  them  on  shore,  they  will  be  wild 
and  very  savage  in  a  very  short  time.  A  wild  boar  is  a 
formidable  animal." 

"  So  I  believe,"  said  Mr  Seagrave  :  "  how  must  we  hunt 
them  ? " 

"Why,  sir,  with  the  dogs,  and  then  shoot  them.  I  am 
glad  that  Vixen  is  to  pup  soon ;  we  shall  want  more 
dogs." 


Masterman  Ready  179 

"lam  afraid  that  we  shall  have  more  mouths  than  we 
can  find  food  for." 

"Never  fear  that,  sir,  as  long  as  we  have  the  sea  to  fish 
in.  Dogs  live  very  well  upon  fish,  even  if  it  is  raw ;  in 
the  northern  climes  they  get  little  else." 

"We  shall  have  some  lambs  soon,  Ready;  shall  we 
not  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  expect  very  soon.  I  wish  we  had  more 
food  for  the  animals  :  they  are  put  rather  hard  to  it  just 
now ;  but  next  year,  if  we  find  more  food  on  the  island, 
we  must  keep  the  grass  near  home,  to  make  hay  and  stack 
it  for  the  winter  time — or  the  rainy  season  rather,  for 
there  is  no  winter  in  these  latitudes.  I'm  pretty  sure  we 
shall  find  some  clear  land  on  the  south  of  the  island,  for 
the  cocoa-nut  grove  does  not  extend  so  close  to  the  water 
on  that  side  as  it  does  on  the  north." 

"I  do  so  long  to  go  on  our  exploring  party,"  said 
William. 

"  We  must  wait  a  little,  sir,"  replied  Ready ;  "  but  I 
don't  know  whether  you  will  go ;  we  must  not  all  three 
go  at  once,  and  leave  Mrs  Seagrave  alone." 

"No,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,  "that  would  not  be  fair; 
either  you  or  I  must  remain,  William." 

William  made  no  reply,  but  it  was  evident  that  he  was 
annoyed  at  the  idea  of  not  being  of  the  party.  They 
worked  very  hard  that  day,  and  the  walls  rose  fast  out  of 
the  water.  At  sunset  they  broke  off  and  returned  to  the 
house. 

After  supper,  Ready  continued  his  narrative.  "  We 
remained  concealed  until  it  was  dark,  and  then  Hastings 
and  Romer,  each  with  a  musket  on  his  shoulders  and  a 
ham  at  his  back  ;  and  I,  being  the  smallest,  with  the  rifle 
and  the  great  loaf  of  bread,  which  was  slung  to  me  by  a 
string  passing  through  a  hole  bored  through  the  middle, 
set  off  on  our  journey.  Our  intention  was  to  travel  north, 
as  we  knew  that  was  the  road  leading  from  the  colony ; 
but  Hastings  had  decided  that  we  should  first  go  to  the 
eastward,  so  as  to  make  what  we  sailors  call  a  circum- 


180  Masterman  Ready 

bendibus,  which  would  keep  us  out  of  the  general  track. 
We  passed  through  the  deep  sands  of  False  Bay,  and  after 
that  gradually  ascended,  getting  among  brushwood  and 
young  trees  ;  but  we  saw  no  signs  of  cultivation,  nor  did 
we  pass  one  house  after  we  had  left  False  Bay  astern  of  us. 
About  twelve  o'clock  we  were  very  much  fatigued,  and 
longed  for  a  drink  of  water,  but  we  did  not  find  any, 
although  the  moon  shone  as  bright  as  day.  We  distinctly 
heard,  however,  what  we  did  not  much  like,  the  howling 
and  cries  of  the  wild  beasts,  which  increased  as  we  went 
on ;  still  we  did  not  see  any,  and  that  was  our  comfort. 
At  last  we  were  so  tired  that  we  all  sat  down  on  the 
ledge  of  a  rock.  We  dared  not  go  to  sleep,  so  we 
remained  there  till  daylight,  listening  to  the  howling  of 
the  animals.  We  none  of  us  spoke,  and  I  presume  that 
Hastings'  and  Romer's  thoughts  were  the  same  as  my 
own,  which  were,  that  I  would  have  given  a  great  deal  to 
find  myself  safe  and  sound  again  within  the  prison  walls. 
However,  daylight  came  at  last ;  the  wild  beasts  did  not 
prowl  any  more ;  we  walked  on  till  we  found  a  stream  of 
water,  where  we  sat  down  and  took  our  breakfast,  after 
which  our  courage  revived,  and  we  talked  and  laughed  as 
we  walked  on,  just  as  we  had  done  before.  We  now 
began  to  ascend  the  mountains,  which  Hastings  said  must 
be  the  Swartz  or  Black  Mountains  that  the  soldiers  had 
talked  to  us  about — they  might  be  for  all  I  knew,  but 
they  were  very  desolate ;  and  when  night  came  on  we 
collected  brushwood,  and  cut  down  branches  with  our 
large  knives,  that  we  might  make  a  fire,  not  only  to  warm 
ourselves,  but  to  scare  away  the  wild  beasts,  whose 
howling  had  already  commenced.  We  saw  two  or  three 
during  the  daytime  sunning  themselves  on  the  flat  rocks — 
one  was  a  panther ;  we  had  loaded  our  guns  :  as  we 
passed,  it  showed  its  white  teeth,  but  did  not  move ;  the 
others  were  too  far  off  for  us  to  distinguish  what  they 
were.  We  lighted  our  fire  and  ate  our  supper ;  the  loaf 
was  half  gone,  and  the  hams  had  been  well  cut  into — we 
knew,  therefore,  that  very  soon  we  should  have  to  trust 


Masterman  Ready  18 1 

to  our  guns  for  procuring  food.  As  soon  as  we  had 
finished  our  meal,  we  lay  down  by  the  fire,  with  our 
muskets  loaded  close  to  us,  and  our  ammunition  placed 
out  of  danger.  We  were  so  tired  that  we  were  soon  fast 
asleep.  It  had  been  agreed  that  Romer  should  keep  the 
first  watch,  and  Hastings  the  middle,  and  I  the  morning ; 
but  Romer  fell  asleep,  and  the  consequence  was,  that  the 
fire  was  not  kept  up.  It  was  about  midnight  that  I  was 
awakened  by  something  breathing  hard  in  my  face,  and 
just  as  I  could  recall  my  senses  and  open  my  eyes,  I  found 
myself  lifted  up  by  my  waistband,  and  the  teeth  of  some 
animal  pinching  my  flesh.  I  tried  to  catch  at  my  musket, 
but  I  put  out  my  wrong  hand,  and  laid  hold  of  a  still 
lighted  brand  out  of  the  fire,  which  I  darted  into  the 
animal's  face  ;  it  let  me  drop  directly,  and  ran  away." 

"  What  a  providential  escape  !  "  said  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  Yes,  it  was,  ma'am  ;  the  animal  was  a  hyena.  Fortun- 
ately they  are  a  very  cowardly  sort  of  beast ;  still,  had  it 
not  been  for  the  lighted  stick,  it  would  have  carried  me  off, 
for  I  was  very  small  then,  and  it  lifted  me  up  as  if  I  was  a 
feather  in  its  mouth.  The  shout  I  gave  woke  Hastings, 
who  seized  his  musket  and  fired.  I  was  very  much  fright- 
ened, as  you  may  suppose.  As  for  Romer,  he  never  woke 
till  we  pushed  him  hard,  he  was  so  completely  knocked 
up.  This  afiair,  of  course,  made  us  more  cautious,  and 
afterwards  we  lighted  two  fires,  and  slept  between  them, 
one  always  remaining  on  the  watch.  For  a  week  we  tra- 
velled on,  and  as  soon  as  we  were  over  the  mountains,  we 
turned  our  heads  to  the  northward.  We  now  were  away 
from  rocks  and  brushwood,  and  entered  a  large  plain. 
Our  provisions  were  all  gone,  and  we  were  one  day  with- 
out any  ;  but  we  killed  an  antelope  called  a  spring-bock, 
which  gave  us  provisions  for  three  or  four  days  :  there  was 
no  want  of  game  after  we  had  descended  into  the  plain.  I 
forgot  to  mention,  however,  a  narrow  escape  we  had,  just 
before  we  had  left  an  extensive  forest  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain.  We  had  walked  till  past  noon,  and  were  very 
much  tired  ;  we  decided  upon  taking  our  dinner  under  a 


1 82  Masterman  Ready- 

large  tree,  and  we  threw  ourselves  down  in  the  shade. 
Hastings  was  lying  on  his  back,  with  his  eyes  looking 
upwards,  when  he  perceived,  on  a  lower  branch  of  the  tree, 
a  panther,  which  lay  along  it,  his  green  eyes  fixed  upon  us, 
and  ready  to  spring  :  he  seized  his  musket,  and  fired  at  it 
without  taking  aim,  for  there  was  no  time  ;  but  the  ball 
entered  the  stomach  of  the  animal,  and,  as  it  ap- 
peared, divided  its  back-bone.  Down  came  the  beast, 
within  three  or  four  feet  of  where  we  lay,  with  a  loud 
roar,  and  immediately  crouched  to  spring  upon  Romer  ; 
but  it  could  not,  for  the  back-bone  being  broken,  it  had 
not  any  power  in  its  hinder  quarters,  so  it  raised  up  its  fore 
quarters,  and  then  dropped  down  again.  I  never  saw  such 
rage  and  fury  in  an  animal  in  my  life.  At  first  we  were 
too  much  frightened  to  fire  •,  but,  perceiving  that  the  beast 
could  not  spring,  Hastings  snatched  the  musket  from 
Romer,  and  shot  it  through  the  head." 

"  That  was,  indeed,  another  wonderful  escape,"  observed 
Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  It  was,  ma'am ;  but,  do  you  know,  we  cared  less  for 
danger  every  time  we  ran  into  it.  We  were  now  obliged 
to  hunt  for  our  livelihood,  and  we  became  bolder  than  ever. 
Our  clothes  were  all  in  rags  ;  but  we  had  plenty  of  powder 
and  ammunition ;  there  were  hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
antelopes  and  gnus  in  the  plain — indeed,  sometimes  it  was 
impossible  to  count  them.  "We  didn't  want  for  provisions, 
I  assure  you ;  but  this  plentiful  supply  of  game  was  the 
cause  of  our  being  in  greater  danger,  for  now,  for  the  first 
time,  we  heard  the  roar  of  the  lions  every  night.  Of  all 
the  noises  I  ever  heard,  it  is  certainly  the  one  which, 
to  my  mind,  is  the  most  terrible.  We  made  large  fires 
to  keep  them  off,  but  I  assure  you  they  often  made  us 
tremble  when  they  came  near  to  us." 

"Did  you  ever  meet  with  one  in  the  day-time?"  said 
William. 

"  Yes,  sir  \  we  often  saw  them,  but  they  never  attacked 
us,  and  we  were  too  much  afraid  to  fire  at  them.  Once, 
we  met  one  face  to  face.    We  had  killed  an  antelope  called  a 


Masterman  Ready  183 

hartebeest,  and,  with  our  muskets  on  our  shoulders,  were 
running  to  secure  it,  having  marked  where  it  fell  in  the 
high  grass.  Just  as  we  came  up  to  the  spot  of  grass,  we 
heard  a  roar,  and  found  ourselves  not  ten  yards  from  a  lion, 
who  was  lying  on  the  top  of  the  beast  we  had  killed,  his 
eyes  flashing  fire  at  us,  and  half  raising  himself,  as  if  ready 
for  a  spring.  We  all  took  to  our  heels  as  fast  as  we 
could.  I  never  looked  back  till  I  was  out  of  breath ;  but 
the  lion  was  content  with  our  running  away,  and  did  not 
take  the  trouble  to  follow  us.  We  went  to  sleep  that 
night  without  our  supper.  Well,  sir,  we  had  been 
travelling,  we  really  hardly  knew  where,  but  certainly 
in  a  northerly  direction,  for  three  weeks,  and  were  quite 
worn  out :  we  now  all  agreed  that  we  had  done  a  very 
foolish  thing,  and  would  gladly  have  gone  back  again. 
We  walked  along  the  whole  day  without  speaking  to  one 
another,  except  when  it  was  necessary  to  hunt  for  pro- 
visions j  for  my  part,  I  declare  that  I  was  willing  to  lie 
down  and  die,  if  I  could  have  so  done,  and  I  became 
quite  indifferent  to  the  roaring  of  the  lions,  and  felt  as 
if  I  should  be  glad  if  one  would  have  made  a  meal  of  me ; 
when,  one  morning,  we  fell  in  with  a  party  of  natives. 
We  could  not  speak  to  them,  but  they  appeared  very 
peaceable  and  well-disposed.  They  were  of  the  Karroo 
tribe,  as  they  told  us  by  pointing  to  themselves,  and 
saying,  *  Karroos,'  and  then  they  pointed  to  us,  and  said, 
*  Dutch.'  We  shot  game,  and  gave  it  to  them,  which 
pleased  them  very  much,  and  they  remained  with  us  for 
five  or  six  days.  We  tried  by  signs  to  inquire  of  them, 
if  there  were  any  Dutch  settlement  about  there ;  and 
they  understood  us,  and  said  that  there  was,  in  a  direction 
which  they  pointed  out  to  us,  to  the  north-east.  We 
offered  them  a  present  if  they  would  show  us  the  way  ; 
for  we  had  made  up  our  minds  that  we  would  give  our- 
selves up  to  the  Dutch,  and  go  back  to  prison.  Two  of 
the  men  agreed  to  go  with  us ;  the  rest  of  the  tribe,  with 
the  women  and  children,  went  southward.  The  next 
day  we  arrived  at  a  Dutch  settlement  of  three  or  four 


184  Masterman  Ready 

farmhouses,   called    Graef    Reynets  j    but    I   must   leave 
off  now,  for  it  is  past  bed-time." 


Chapter  XXXVIII 

The  construction  of  the  fish-pond  proceeded  rapidly, 
and  on  the  third  day  it  was  nearly  complete.  As  soon 
as  all  the  walls  were  finished,  Ready  threw  out  sand 
and  shingle,  so  as  to  make  the  part  next  to  the  beach 
nearly  as  deep  as  the  other ;  so  that  there  might  be 
sufficient  water  to  prevent  the  gulls  and  man-of-war  birds 
from  darting  down,  and  striking  the  fish.  While  Ready 
was  thus  employed,  Mr  Seagrave  and  William  collected 
more  rocks,  so  as  to  divide  the  pond  into  four  parts,  at 
the  same  time  allowing  a  communication  between  each 
part.  These  inside  walls,  as  well  as  the  outside,  were 
made  of  sufficient  width  to  walk  upon ;  by  which  means 
they  would  have  all  the  fish  within  reach  of  the  spear, 
in  case  they  wished  to  take  them  out.  The  day  after 
the  pond  was  completed  the  weather  changed,  but  the 
storms  were  not  so  violent  as  at  the  commencement  of 
the  rainy  season.  The  rain  poured  down  with  great 
force,  but  it  was  not  accompanied  with  such  terrific 
thunder  and  lightning,  nor  were  the  storms  of  so  long 
continuance,  generally  clearing  up  after  a  few  hours. 
In  the  intervals  of  fine  weather  they  caught  a  great  many 
fish,  which  they  put  into  the  pond,  so  that  it  was  well 
stocked.  But  a  circumstance  occurred,  which  was  the 
occasion  of  great  alarm  to  them  all ;  which  was,  that  one 
evening  William  was  taken  with  a  shivering,  and  com- 
plained very  much  of  a  pain  in  his  head.  Ready  had 
promised  to  continue  his  narrative  on  that  evening,  but 
William  was  too  ill  to  sit  up.  He  was  put  into  bed,  and 
the  next  morning  he  was  in  a  violent  fever.  Mr  Seagrave 
was  much  alarmed,  as  the  symptoms  were  worse  every 
hour ;  and  Ready,  who  had  sat  up  with  him  during  the 


Masterman  Ready  185 

night,  called  Mr  Seagrave  out  of  the  house,  and  said, 
"This  is  a  bad  case,  sir;  Master  William  was  working 
yesterday  with  his  hat  off,  and  I  fear  that  he  has  been 
struck  by  the  sun.  It's  a  pity  but  we  had  some  one 
who  could  take  some  blood  from  him." 

"I  have  a  lancet,"  said  Mr  Seagrave;  "  but  I  really 
have  never  bled  anybody  in  my  life." 

"  Nor  have  I,  sir  ;  but  if  you  have  a  lancet,  I  think  it  is 
our  duty  to  try.  If  you  think  that  you  cannot,  I  will  do 
my  best ;  it  is  a  very  simple  operation." 

"  Well,  Ready,  one  of  us  must  do  it,  I  believe." 

"  Perhaps  my  hand  will  be  most  steady  in  this  instance, 
sir,"  observed  Ready  ;  "  I'm  fearful  of  the  fever  going  to 
his  brain." 

"  I  would  prefer  your  attempting  it,  Ready,  I  must  say," 
replied  Mr  Seagrave;  "my  hand  would  not  be  steady, 
I  tremble  so  for  my  dear  child." 

They  went  into  the  house  again.  Mr  Seagrave  found 
his  lancet,  and  Ready  bound  up  William's  arm.  As  soon 
as  the  vein  was  swelled,  he  held  it  firm  under  the  ball  of 
his  thumb,  and  was  successful  in  the  first  attempt.  By 
the  advice  of  Ready,  a  great  deal  of  blood  was  taken 
from  the  sufferer,  who  appeared  to  be  much  relieved  by 
the  operation.  His  arm  was  then  bandaged,  and,  having 
drank  a  little  water,  which  he  asked  for,  he  again  was 
laid  upon  his  pillow.  The  next  day  the  fever  was  as 
violent  as  ever.  William  was  bled  again,  and  his  mother 
watched  over  him  with  anxiety  and  in  tears.  The  poor 
boy  was  for  many  days  in  great  danger  ;  and  the  cheerful 
house  was  now  one  of  gloom  and  silence.  How  fervent 
were  now  the  morning  and  evening  prayers ;  how  often 
during  the  day  did  his  parents  offer  up  a  petition  to 
heaven  for  their  dear  boy's  recovery.  The  weather 
became  finer  every  day,  and  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  keep  Tommy  quiet :  Juno  went  out  with  him  and 
Albert  every  morning,  and  kept  them  with  her  while  she 
cooked  ;  and,  fortunately,  Vixen  had  pupped,  and  when 
Juno  could  no  longer  amuse  them,  she  brought  them  two 


1 86  Masterman  Ready 

of  the  puppies  to  play  with.  As  for  the  quiet,  meek  little 
Caroline,  she  would  remain  during  the  whole  day  holding 
her  mother's  hand,  and  watching  her  brother,  or  working 
with  her  needle  by  the  side  of  his  bed. 

Ready,  who  could  not  be  idle,  had  taken  the  hammer 
and  cold  chisel  to  make  the  salt-pan,  at  which  he  worked 
during  those  portions  of  the  day  in  which  his  services 
were  not  required  in-doors  ;  and  as  he  sat  chipping  away 
the  rock,  his  thoughts  were  ever  upon  William,  for  he 
dearly  loved  the  boy  for  his  amiable  disposition  and  his 
cleverness ;  and  many  a  time  during  the  day  would  he 
stop  his  work,  and  the  tears  would  run  down  his  cheeks 
as  he  offered  up  his  petition  to  the  Almighty,  that  the  boy 
might  be  spared  to  his  afflicted  parents.  And  those  prayers 
were  heard,  for,  on  the  ninth  day,  William  was  pronounced 
by  Ready  and  Mr  Seagrave  to  have  much  less  fever,  and 
shortly  afterwards  it  left  him  altogether ;  but  he  was  so 
weak  that  he  could  not  raise  himself  in  his  bed  for  two 
or  three  days  •,  and  it  was  not  till  more  than  a  fortnight 
after  the  fever  had  left  him  that  he  could  go  out  of  the 
house.  The  joy  that  was  expressed  by  them  all  when 
the  change  took  place  may  be  imagined ;  nor  were  the 
thanksgivings  less  fervent  than  had  been  the  prayers. 
During  his  convalescence,  as  there  was  nothing  else  to  do, 
Mr  Seagrave  and  Ready,  who  now  went  gladly  to  their 
work,  determined,  as  the  salt-pan  was  finished,  that  they 
would  make  a  bathing-place.  Juno  came  to  their  assist- 
ance, and  was  very  useful  in  assisting  to  drag  the  wheels 
which  brought  the  rocks  and  stones  ;  and  Tommy  was 
also  brought  down,  that  he  might  be  out  of  the  way 
while  Mrs  Seagrave  and  Caroline  watched  the  invalid. 
By  the  time  that  William  was  able  to  go  out  of  the  house, 
the  bathing-place  was  finished,  and  there  was  no  longer 
any  fear  of  the  sharks.  William  came  down  to  the  beach 
with  his  mother,  and  looked  at  the  work  which  had  been 
done ;  he  was  much  pleased  with  it,  and  said,  "  Now, 
Ready,  we  have  finished  everything  at  home  for  the 
present :  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  explore  the  island,  and 


Masterman  Ready  187 

to  go  to  the  cove  and  examine  our  collection  from  the 
wreck." 

"  Very  true,  Master  William ;  and  the  weather  has  been 
so  fine,  that  I  think  we  may  venture  upon  one  or  the  other 
in  a  few  days  more ;  but  not  till  you  are  stronger,  for  you 
must  not  be  left  alone  with  your  mamma  until  you  are 
quite  well." 

"  Be  left,  Ready  !  why,  I  was  to  go  with  you." 

"  No,  Master  William,  that  cannot  be  now.  Suppose 
we  were  to  have  a  storm,  and  you  were  to  get  wet,  and 
have  to  sleep  in  your  wet  clothes,  you  might  be  taken  with 
the  fever  again,  and  that  when  you  were  a  long  way  from 
home :  we  must  be  prudent  for  a  time.  Sit  down  on  the 
rock  and  enjoy  that  nice  breeze ;  it  will  do  you  good ;  but 
you  must  not  stay  too  long." 

"  I  shall  soon  be  strong  again,  Ready ;  thank  God  for 
his  goodness." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it,  Master  William ;  and  we  have 
good  reason  to  thank  God,  for  we  could  ill  spare  you.  I 
am  going  to  take  a  turtle  out  of  the  pond,  for  we  must 
feed  you  well,  and  make  you  strong." 

"  It's  a  long  while  since  you  have  gone  on  with  your 
story,  Ready,"  said  William,  after  they  had  taken  their 
supper ;  I  wish  you  would  do  so  now,  as  I  am  sure  I  shall 
not  be  tired." 

"  With  pleasure,  Master  William,"  replied  Ready ; 
"  but  can  you  remember  where  I  left  off,  for  my  memory 
is  none  of  the  best  ? " 

"  O  yes  ;  if  you  recollect,  you  had  just  arrived  at  a 
Dutch  farmer's  house,  in  company  with  the  savages,  at  a 
place  called  Graef  Reynets,  I  think." 

"Very  true,  sir.  Well  then,  the  Dutch  farmer  came 
out  when  he  saw  us  coming,  and  asked  us  who  we  were. 
We  told  him  that  we  were  English  prisoners,  and  that  we 
wished  to  give  ourselves  up  to  the  authorities.  He  took 
away  our  arms  and  ammunition,  and  said  that  he  was  the 
authority  in  that  part,  which  was  true  enough ;  and  then 
he  said,  *  You'll  not  run  away  without  arms  and  ammuni- 


1 88  Masterman  Ready 

tion,  that's  certain.  As  for  sending  you  to  the  Cape,  that 
I  may  not  be  able  to  do  for  months  ;  so  if  you  wish  to  be 
fed  well,  you  must  work  well  while  you're  here.'  "We 
replied,  that  we  should  be  very  glad  to  make  ourselves 
useful,  and  then  he  sent  us  some  dinner  by  a  Hottentot 
girl,  and  showed  us  a  small  room  for  us  to  sleep  in.  But 
we  soon  found  out  that  we  had  to  deal  with  an  ill-tempered, 
brutal  fellow ;  and  that  he  gave  us  plenty  of  hard  work, 
but  by  no  means  plenty  of  food.  He  would  not  trust  us 
with  guns,  so  the  Hottentots  went  out  with  the  cattle,  but 
he  gave  us  plenty  of  work  to  do  about  the  house ;  and  at 
last  he  treated  us  very  cruelly.  When  he  was  short  of 
provisions  for  the  Hottentots  and  other  slaves,  of  which 
he  had  a  good  many,  he  would  go  out  with  the  other 
farmers  who  lived  near  him,  and  shoot  quaggas  for  them 
to  eat.  Nobody  but  a  Hottentot  could  live  upon  such 
flesh." 

"  "What  is  a  quagga  ?  " 

"  A  wild  ass,  partly  covered  with  stripes,  but  not  so 
much  as  the  zebra  ;  a  pretty  animal  to  look  at,  but  the 
flesh  is  very  bad.  "Well,  sir,  he  at  last  would  give  us 
nothing  to  eat  but  quaggas,  the  same  as  the  Hottentots, 
while  he  and  his  family — for  he  had  a  wife  and  five 
children — lived  upon  mutton  and  the  flesh  of  the  antelope, 
which  is  very  excellent  eating.  "We  asked  him  to  allow 
us  a  gun  to  procure  better  food,  and  he  kicked  Romer  so 
unmercifully,  that  he  could  not  work  for  two  days  after- 
wards. As  for  the  poor  Hottentots  and  slaves,  they  were 
flogged  every  day,  with  a  whip  made  of  the  hide  of  a 
rhinoceros,  a  terrible  thing,  which  cut  into  the  flesh  at 
every  blow.  Our  lives  became  quite  a  burden  to  us ;  we 
were  employed  all  day  on  the  farm  one  way  or  another, 
and  every  day  he  was  more  brutal  towards  us.  At  last  we 
agreed  that  we  would  stand  it  no  longer,  and  one  evening, 
Hastings  told  him  so.  This  put  him  into  a  great  rage, 
and  he  called  two  of  the  slaves,  and  ordered  them  to  tie 
him  to  the  waggon  wheel,  swearing  that  he  would  cut 
every  bit  of  skin  off  his  body,  and  he  went  into  his  house 


Masterman  Ready  189 

to  get  his  whip.  The  slaves  had  hold  of  Hastings,  and 
were  tying  him  up,  for  they  dared  not  disobey  their 
master,  when  he  said  to  us,  '  If  I  am  flogged  this  way,  it 
will  be  all  over  with  us.  Now's  your  time  ;  run  back 
behind  the  house,  and  when  he  comes  out  with  the  whip, 
do  you  go  in  and  seize  the  muskets,  which  are  always 
ready  loaded.  Hold  him  at  bay  till  I  get  clear,  and  then 
we  will  get  away  somehow  or  another.  You  must  do  it, 
for  I  am  sure  he  will  flog  me  till  I  am  dead,  and  he  will 
shoot  you  as  runaway  prisoners,  as  he  did  his  two 
Hottentots  the  other  day.  As  Romer  and  I  thought  this 
very  probable,  we  did  as  Hastings  told  us ;  and  when  the 
Dutchman  had  gone  towards  him  where  he  was  tied  up, 
about  fifty  yards  from  the  house,  we  went  in.  The 
farmer's  wife  was  in  bed,  having  just  given  birth  to 
another  child,  and  the  children  we  cared  not  for.  We 
seized  two  muskets  and  a  large  knife,  and  came  out  just 
as  the  Dutchman  had  struck  the  first  blow  with  the 
rhinoceros  whip,  which  was  so  severe,  that  it  took  away 
poor  Hastings'  breath.  We  went  up  ;  he  turned  round 
and  saw  us :  we  levelled  our  muskets  at  him,  and  he 
stopped.  '  Another  blow,  and  we'll  shoot  you,'  cried 
Romer.  *  Yes,'  cried  I ;  '  we  are  only  boys,  but  you've 
Englishmen  to  deal  with.'  When  we  came  up,  Romer 
kept  his  piece  levelled  at  the  Dutchman,  while  I  passed 
him,  and  with  the  knife  cut  the  thongs  which  bound 
Hastings.  The  Dutchman  turned  pale  and  did  not  speak, 
he  was  so  frightened,  and  the  slaves  ran  away.  As  soon 
as  Hastings  was  free,  he  seized  a  large  wooden  mallet, 
used  for  driving  in  stakes,  and  struck  the  Dutchman 
down  to  the  earth,  crying  out,  *  That,  for  flogging  an 
Englishman,  you  rascal.'  While  the  man  lay  senseless, 
or  dead — I  didn't  know  which  at  the  time — we  tied  him 
to  the  waggon  wheels,  and  returning  to  the  house,  seized 
some  ammunition  and  other  articles  which  might  be  useful. 
We  then  went  to  the  stables,  and  took  the  three  best 
horses  which  the  Dutchman  had,  put  some  corn  in  a  sack 
for  each  of  them,  took  some  cord  for  halters,  mounted, 


190  Masterman  Ready 

and  rode  away  as  fast  as  we  could.  As  we  knew  that  we 
should  be  pursued,  we  first  galloped  away  as  if  we  were 
going  eastward,  to  the  Cape ;  and  then,  as  soon  as  we 
were  on  ground  which  would  not  show  the  tracks  of  our 
horses'  hoofs,  we  turned  round  to  the  northward,  in  the 
direction  of  the  Bushman  country.  It  was  dark  soon  after 
we  had  altered  our  course ;  but  we  travelled  all  night, 
and  although  we  heard  the  roaring  of  the  lions  at  a 
distance,  we  met  with  no  accident.  At  daylight  we  rested 
our  horses,  and  gave  them  some  corn,  and  then  sat  down 
to  eat  some  of  the  provisions  we  had  brought  with  us." 

"  How  long  were  you  with  the  farmer  at  Graef 
Reynets  ? " 

"Nearly  eight  months,  sir;  and  during  that  time  we 
could  not  only  speak  Dutch,  but  we  could  make  ourselves 
understood  by  the  Hottentots  and  other  natives  •,  besides 
which,  we  had  a  good  knowledge  of  the  country,  and  knew 
what  to  do  when  we  travelled.  While  we  were  eating, 
we  held  a  consultation  how  we  should  proceed.  We  were 
aware  that  the  Dutchmen  would  shoot  us  if  they  came  up 
with  us,  and  that  they  would  come  out  in  strong  force 
against  us  ;  and  we  were  afraid  that  we  had  killed  the  man, 
and  if  so,  they  would  hang  us  as  soon  as  we  got  to  the 
Cape  ;  so  we  were  at  a  great  loss  to  know  how  to  act.  At 
last  we  decided  that  we  would  cross  the  country  of  the 
Bushmen,  and  get  to  the  sea-side,  to  the  northward  of  the 
Cape.  Having  done  talking,  we  took  the  saddles  off  our 
horses,  and  tethered  them  where  there  was  good  grass ; 
for  you  see,  sir,  if  we  had  not  made  them  fast  they  would 
have  galloped  back  to  the  farm.  We  determined  that  it 
would  be  better  to  travel  at  night,  as  there  would  be  less 
fear  of  the  wild  beasts,  or  of  being  seen ;  so  we  went  fast 
asleep  for  many  hours.  Towards  the  evening,  we  found 
water  for  the  horses,  and  then  we  fed  them  again,  and  pro- 
ceeded on  our  journey.  I  won't  tell  what  passed  every 
day  for  a  fortnight,  by  which  time  we  had  pretty  well 
killed  our  horses,  and  we  were  compelled  to  stop  among  a 
tribe  of  Gorraguas,  I  think  they  called  them,  a  very  mild, 


Masterman  Ready  191 

inoffensive  people,  who  supplied  us  with  milk,  and  treated 
us  very  kindly.  We  had  some  adventures,  nevertheless. 
One  day,  as  we  were  passing  by  a  tuft  of  small  trees,  a 
rhinoceros  charged  upon  my  horse,  which  very  narrowly 
escaped  by  wheeling  short  round  and  getting  behind  him  ; 
the  beast  then  made  off  without  meddling  with  us  any  more. 
Every  day  we  used  to  shoot  some  animal  or  other,  for  pro- 
vision :  sometimes  it  was  a  gnu,  a  very  curious  creature, 
something  between  an  antelope  and  a  bull ;  at  other  times 
it  was  one  of  the  antelope  kind — there  were  plenty  of  them. 

"  Well,  we  stayed  for  three  weeks  with  these  people, 
and  gave  our  horses  time  to  refresh  themselves ;  and 
then  we  set  off  again,  keeping  more  towards  the  coast  as 
we  went  southward,  for  the  Gorraguas  told  us  that  there 
was  a  fierce  native  tribe,  called  Kaffers,  to  the  northward, 
who  would  certainly  kill  us  if  we  went  there.  The  fact 
is,  we  did  not  know  what  to  do.  We  had  left  the  Cape 
without  any  exact  idea  where  we  should  go  to,  like  foolish 
boys  as  we  were,  and  we  became  more  entangled  with 
difficulties  every  day.  At  last,  we  decided  that  it  would 
be  better  to  find  our  way  back  to  the  Cape,  and  deliver 
ourselves  up  as  prisoners,  for  we  were  tired  out  with 
fatigue  and  constant  danger.  All  that  we  were  afraid  of 
was,  that  we  had  killed  the  Dutch  farmer  at  Graef  Reynets, 
who  had  treated  us  so  brutally ;  but  Hastings  said  he  did 
not  care ;  that  was  his  business,  and  he  would  take  his 
chance ;  so  when  we  bade  adieu  to  the  Gorraguas,  who 
were  quite  satisfied  with  our  presenting  them  with  all  the 
buttons  we  could  spare,  we  turned  our  horses'  heads  to  the 
south-east,  so  to  make  the  sea  and  go  to  the  southward  at 
the  same  time. 

"  I  have  now  to  mention  a  most  melancholy  event  which 
occurred.  Two  days  after  we  had  recommenced  our  travels, 
in  passing  through  some  high  grass,  we  stumbled  on  a 
lion,  which  was  devouring  a  gnu.  Romer,  who  happened 
to  be  some  ten  yards  foremost  of  the  three,  was  so  alarmed 
that  he  fired  at  the  animal,  which  we  had  agreed  never 
to  do,  as  it  was  folly  to   enrage   so   powerful   a   beast, 


192  Masterman  Ready 

when  our  party  was  so  small.  The  lion  was  slightly 
wounded  ;  he  gave  a  roar  that  might  have  been  heard 
for  a  mile,  sprang  upon  Romer,  and  with  one  blow  of 
his  paw  knocked  him  off  the  saddle  into  the  bushes. 
Our  horses,  which  were  frightened,  wheeled  round  and 
fled,  for  the  animal  was  evidently  about  to  attack  us.  As 
it  was,  he  did  make  one  bound  in  our  direction  ;  we  could 
not  pull  up  until  we  had  gone  half  a  mile ;  and  when 
we  did,  we  saw  the  lion  had  torn  down  the  horse  which 
Romer  had  ridden,  and  was  dragging  away  the  carcase 
to  the  right  at  a  sort  of  a  canter,  without  any  apparent 
effort  on  his  part.  We  waited  till  he  was  well  off,  and 
then  rode  back  to  the  spot  where  Romer  had  fallen :  we 
soon  found  him,  but  he  was  quite  dead  ;  the  blow  with 
the  lion's  paw  had  fractured  his  skull. 

"  We  had  no  means  of  burying  him,  poor  fellow  !  so 
we  covered  him  up  with  bushes,  and  left  him.  We  were 
both  very  melancholy  ;  indeed,  as  I  rode  on,  I  cried  for 
nearly  an  hour ;  and  Hastings  never  spoke  a  word  until 
it  was  time  for  us  to  rest  the  horses.  I  ought  to  have 
said  that  the  Gorraguas  told  us  not  to  travel  by  night, 
but  by  day  ;  and  we  had  done  so  in  consequence  of  their 
advice.  I  believe  it  was  very  good  advice,  notwith- 
standing this  unfortunate  accident,  for  we  found  that 
when  we  had  travelled  all  night  the  lions  had  more  than 
once  followed  us  the  whole  time ;  and  indeed  I  have  often 
thought  since  that  we  were  altogether  indebted  to  his 
mercy  who  ordereth  all  things,  both  in  heaven  and  earth, 
that  we  escaped  so  well  as  we  did.  Three  days  after 
poor  Romer's  death  we  first  saw  the  wide  ocean  again  ; 
and  it  appeared  to  us  as  if  we  had  fallen  in  with  an  old 
friend.  We  kept  near  the  coast,  but  we  soon  found  out 
that  we  could  not  obtain  the  supply  of  game,  or  fuel  for 
our  fires  at  night,  so  well  as  we  could  in  the  interior, 
and  we  agreed  to  get  away  from  the  coast  again.  We 
had  a  dreary  plain  to  pass  over,  and  we  were  quite 
faint  for  want  of  food — for  we  had  been  without  any 
for  nearly  two   days, — when   we  came  upon  an   ostrich. 


S-Wyfcftfc&rWtnV^-^ 


Masterman  Ready  193 

Hastings  put  his  horse  to  his  speed,  but  it  was  of  no  use — 
the  ostrich  ran  much  faster  than  the  horse  could.  I 
remained  behind,  and,  to  my  great  joy,  discovered  his 
nest,  with  thirteen  large  eggs  in  it.  Hastings  soon  came 
back,  with  his  horse  panting  and  out  of  wind.  We  sat 
down,  lighted  a  fire,  and  roasted  two  of  the  eggs  ;  we 
made  a  good  dinner  off  them,  and  having  put  four  more 
on  our  saddle  bows,  we  continued  our  journey.  For 
three  weeks  more  we  had  nothing  but  difficulty  and  suffer- 
ing. One  forenoon,  at  last,  we  saw  the  Table  Mountain, 
and  were  as  glad  to  see  it  as  if  we  had  seen  the  white  cliffs 
of  Old  England.  We  pushed  on  our  horses  with  the 
hopes  of  being  once  more  comfortably  in  prison  before 
night ;  when,  as  we  neared  the  bay,  we  observed  that 
English  colours  were  flying  on  board  of  the  vessels  in 
the  road.  This  surprised  us  very  much ;  but  soon  after 
that  we  met  an  English  soldier,  who  told  us  that  the  Cape 
had  been  taken  by  our  forces  more  than  six  months  ago. 
This  was  a  joyful  surprise,  as  you  may  suppose.  We 
rode  into  the  town,  and  reported  ourselves  to  the  main- 
guard  ;  the  governor  sent  for  us,  heard  our  story,  and 
sent  us  to  the  admiral,  who  took  us  on  board  of  his  own 
ship.  Now,  Master  William,  as  this  is  a  good  place  to 
leave  off  at,  and  you  must  be  rather  tired,  I  think  we 
had  better  all  go  to  bed." 


Chapter    XXXIX 

The  next  morning,  as  there  was  no  particular  work  on 
hand,  Ready  and  Mr  Seagrave  took  the  lines  to  add  to 
the  stock  of  the  fish-pond.  As  the  weather  was  fine  and 
cool,  William  accompanied  them,  that  he  might  have  the 
benefit  of  the  fresh  air.  As  they  passed  the  garden,  they 
observed  that  the  seeds  sown  had  already  sprung  up  an 
inch  or  two  above  the  ground,  and  that,  apparently,  none 
of  them  had  missed.      While  Ready  and    Mr   Seagrave 

R  N 


194  Masterman  Ready 

were  fishing,  and  William  sitting  near  them,  William  said 
to  his  father — 

"  Many  of  the  islands  near  us  are  inhabited  ;  are  they 
not,  papa  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  but  not  those  very  near  us,  I  believe.  At  all 
events,  I  never  heard  any  voyagers  mention  having  seen 
inhabitants  on  the  isles  near  which  we  suppose  the  one 
we  are  on  to  be." 

"  What  sort  of  people  are  the  islanders  in  these  seas  ?  " 

"  They  are  various.  The  New  Zealanders  are  the 
most  advanced  in  civilisation,  but  still  they  are  said  to  be 
cannibals.  The  natives  of  Van  Diemen's  Land  and 
Australia  are  some  portions  of  them  of  a  very  degraded 
class — indeed,  little  better  than  the  beasts  of  the  field  : 
I  believe  them  to  be  the  lowest  in  the  scale  of  all  the 
human  race." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Ready,  "  but  I  have  seen 
them ;  and  I  think  I  can  mention  a  people,  not  very 
numerous  indeed,  who  are  still  more  like  the  beasts  of  the 
field.  I  saw  them  once ;  and,  at  first,  thought  they  were 
animals,  and  not  human  beings." 

"  Indeed,  Ready  ;  where  may  that  be  ?  " 

"In  the  great  Andaman  Isles,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bay 
of  Bengal. 

"I  once  anchored  in  distress  in  Port  Cornwallis — a 
splendid  harbour,  which  would  hold  the  whole  English 
navy — and  the  morning  after  we  anchored,  we  saw  some 
black  things  going  upon  all-fours  under  the  trees  that 
came  down  to  the  water's  edge.  We  got  the  telescope — 
for  we  were  a  mile  or  more  off  the  shore — and  we  per- 
ceived then  that  they  were  men  and  women,  for  they  stood 
upright." 

"  Did  you  ever  come  into  contact  with  them  ? " 

"  No,  sir,  I  did  not ;  but  I  met,  at  Calcutta,  a  soldier 
who  had  :  for  at  one  time  the  East-India  Company  intended 
making  a  settlement  on  the  island,  and  sent  some  troops 
there.  He  said  that  they  had  caught  two  of  them  ;  that 
they  were  not  more  than  four  feet  high,  excessively  stupid 


Masterman  Ready  195 

and  shy ;  they  had  no  clothes  on  of  any  description ;  they 
had  no  nouses  or  huts  to  live  in,  and  all  that  they  did  was 
to  pile  up  some  bushes  to  keep  the  wind  off." 

"  Had  they  any  arms  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  they  had  bows  and  arrows  ;  but  so  miserably 
made,  and  so  small,  that  they  could  not  kill  anything  but 
very  small  birds.  The  natives  let  fly  several  arrows  at  the 
soldiers  when  they  met,  and  the  soldiers  picked  them  out 
of  their  coats,  for  they  had  not  penetrated  any  further." 

t(  Well,  I  do  believe,  by  your  description,  that  the 
Andaman  Isles  natives  are  even  lower  in  the  scale  than  the 
New  Hollanders.  What  did  they  do  with  the  two  whom 
they  captured  ? " 

"  Let  them  go  again,  sir ;  for  they  would  not  speak 
or  eat,  and  they  would  have  died  had  they  been  kept." 

"  Where  did  the  people  come  from  who  inhabited  these 
islands,  papa  ?  " 

"  That  is  difficult  to  say,  William  ;  but  it  is  supposed 
that  they  have  become  inhabited  in  much  the  same  way  as 
this,  our  island,  has  been — that  is,  by  people  in  canoes  or 
boats  driven  out  to  sea,  and  saving  their  lives  by  effecting 
a  landing,  as  we  have  done." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Ready  ;  "  I  believe  that's  the  truth  ; 
I  heard  say  that  the  Andaman  Isles  were  supposed  to  have 
been  first  inhabited  by  a  slaver  full  of  negroes,  who  were 
wrecked  on  the  coast  in  a  typhoon." 

"  What  is  a  typhoon,  Ready  ?  " 

"It  is  much  the  same  as  a  hurricane,  Master  William; 
it  comes  on  in  India  at  the  change  of  the  monsoons." 

"  But  what  are  monsoons,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Winds  that  blow  regular  from  one  quarter  so  many 
months  during  the  year,  and  then  change  round  and  blow 
from  another  just  as  long." 

"  And  what  are  the  trade  winds,  which  I  heard  poor 
Captain  Osborn  talking  about  after  we  left  Madeira  ?  " 

"  The  trade  winds  blow  on  the  equator,  and  several 
degrees  north  and  south  of  it,  from  the  east  to  the  west, 
following  the  course  of  the  sun." 


196  Masterman  Ready 

"  Is  it  the  sun  which  produces  these  winds  ? " 

"  Yes,  the  extreme  heat  of  the  sun  between  the  tropics 
rarefies  the  air  as  the  earth  turns  round,  and  the  trade 
winds  are  produced  by  the  rushing  in  of  the  less  heated 
air.  You  know  that  if  there  is  a  large  fire  in  a  room, 
there  is  a  continual  draft  of  cold  air  rushing  into  the  room 
towards  it ;  in  the  same  way  the  heat  of  the  sun  produces 
the  trade  winds." 

"  Yes,  Master  William ;  and  the  trade  winds  produce 
what  they  call  the  Gulf  Stream,"  observed  Ready. 

"  How  is  that  ?     I  have  heard  it  spoken  of,  papa." 

"  The  winds,  constantly  following  the  sun  across  the 
Atlantic  Ocean,  and  blowing  from  east  to  west,  have  great 
effect  upon  the  sea,  which  is  forced  up  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  (where  it  is  stopped  by  the  shores  of  America), 
so  that  it  is  many  feet  higher  in  the  Gulf  than  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  Atlantic.  This  accumulation 
of  water  must  of  course  find  a  vent  somewhere,  and 
it  does  in  what  is  called  the  Gulf  Stream,  by  which 
the  waters  are  poured  out,  running  very  strong  to  the 
northward,  along  the  shores  of  America,  and  then 
westward,  passing  not  far  from  Newfoundland,  until 
its  strength  is  spent  somewhere  to  the  northward  of 
the  Azores,  or  Western  Isles,  which  you  remember 
seeing  on  the  chart  when  we  were  making  our  passage 
out." 

"  The  Gulf  Stream,  Master  William,"  said  Ready,  "  is 
always  several  degrees  warmer  than  the  sea  in  general, 
which  is,  they  say,  owing  to  its  waters  remaining  in 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  so  long,  where  the  heat  of  the 
sun  is  so  great ;  and  we  always  know  when  we  are 
in  the  stream,  by  the  seaweed  which  it  brings  away  with 
it,  and  which  is  seen  floating  on  the  surface." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  the  land  and  sea  breezes  in 
the  West  Indies,  and  other  hot  climates,  papa  ? " 

"It  is  the  wind  first  blowing  off  from  the  shore,  and 
then  blowing  from  the  sea  towards  the  shore,  during 
certain  hours  of  the  day,  which  it  does  regularly  every 


Masterman  Ready  197 

twenty-four  hours.  This  is  also  the  effect  of  the  heat 
of  the  sun.  The  sea  breeze  commences  in  the  morning, 
and  in  the  afternoon  it  dies  away,  when  the  land  breeze 
commences,  which  lasts  till  midnight. 

"  You  observe,  William,"  continued  Mr  Seagrave, 
"  that  all  these  effects  in  tropical  countries  are  produced 
by  natural  causes  ;  but  they  are,  nevertheless,  proofs  of  the 
goodness  of  that  Almighty  hand,  who  has  so  fashioned  the 
world,  that  from  natural  causes,  easy  to  be  explained, 
effects  are  produced  which  are  beneficial  to  mankind. 
For  instance,  who  could  inhabit  the  islands  in  the  West 
Indies  if  the  land  and  sea  breezes  did  not  regularly  blow, 
so  as  to  cool  the  heated  surface  of  the  earth  ?  In  the 
same  way,  if  the  trade  winds  did  not  continually  blow, 
and  if  calms  and  light  airs  prevailed  in  the  seas  which 
are  under  the  burning  sun  of  the  equator,  the  heat  would 
be  such  as  to  render  the  voyage  insupportable." 

"  That  it  would,  sir,"  replied  Ready ;  "  there  are 
latitudes  close  to  the  trade  winds,  where  the  wind  is 
not  certain,  where  ships  have  been  becalmed  for  weeks  •, 
the  crews  have  exhausted  the  water  on  board,  and  they 
have  suffered  dreadfully.  We  call  them  the  Horse 
latitudes — why,  I  do  not  know  ;  but  I  believe  it  is  that 
the  horses  which  they  used  to  send  out  are,  of  course, 
the  first  sacrificed  when  the  water  runs  short.  But  it  is 
time  for  us  to  leave  off,  and  for  Master  William  to  go  into 
the  house." 

They  returned  home,  and  after  supper  Ready  went  on 
with  his  narrative. 

"  I  left  off  at  the  time  that  I  was  sent  on  board  of 
the  man-of-war,  and  I  was  put  down  on  the  books  as  a 
supernumerary  boy.  I  was  on  board  of  her  for  nearly 
four  years,  and  we  were  sent  about  from  port  to  port  and 
from  clime  to  clime,  until  I  grew  a  strong,  tall  lad,  and 
was  put  into  the  mizen-top.  I  found  it  very  comfortable. 
I  did  my  duty,  and  the  consequence  was,  I  never  was 
punished  ;  for  a  man  may  serve  on  board  of  a  man-of-war 
without  fear  of  being  punished,  if  he  only  does  his  duty, 


198  Masterman  Ready 

and  the  duty  is  not  very  hard  either ;  not  like  on  board 
of  the  merchant  vessels,  where  there  are  so  few  hands 
— there  it  is  hard  work.  Of  course,  there  are  some 
captains  who  command  men-of-war  who  are  harsh  and 
severe — what  they  call  martinets  in  the  service  ;  but  it  was 
my  good  fortune  to  be  with  a  very  mild  and  steady  captain, 
who  was  very  sorry  when  he  was  obliged  to  punish  the 
men,  although  he  would  not  overlook  any  improper 
conduct.  The  only  thing  which  was  a  source  of  constant 
unhappiness  to  me  was,  that  I  could  not  get  to  England 
again,  and  see  my  mother.  I  had  written  two  or  three 
letters,  but  never  had  an  answer  ;  and  at  last  I  became  so 
impatient,  that  I  determined  to  run  away  the  very  first 
opportunity  which  might  offer.  We  were  then  stationed 
in  the  West  Indies,  and  I  had  very  often  consultations 
with  Hastings  on  the  subject,  for  he  was  quite  as  anxious 
to  get  away  as  I  was  ;  and  we  had  agreed  that  we  would 
start  off  together  the  very  first  opportunity.  At  last  we 
anchored  in  Port  Royal,  Jamaica,  and  there  was  a  large 
convoy  of  West  India  ships,  laden  with  sugar,  about  to  sail 
immediately.  We  knew  that  if  we  could  get  on  board  of 
one,  they  would  secrete  us  until  the  time  of  sailing,  for 
they  were  short-handed  enough,  the  men-of-war  having 
pressed  every  man  they  could  lay  their  hands  upon. 
There  was  but  one  chance,  and  that  was  by  swimming  on 
board  of  one  of  the  vessels  during  the  night-time,  and  that 
was  easy  enough,  as  they  were  anchored  not  a  hundred 
yards  from  our  own  ship.  What  we  were  afraid  of  were 
the  sharks,  which  were  so  plentiful  in  the  harbour.  How- 
ever, the  night  before  the  convoy  was  to  sail  we  made  up 
our  minds  that  we  would  run  the  risk,  for  we  were  so 
impatient  to  escape  that  we  did  not  care  for  anything.  It 
was  in  the  middle  watch — I  recollect  it,  and  shall  recollect 
it  all  my  life,  as  if  it  were  last  night — that  we  lowered 
ourselves  down  very  softly  from  the  bows  of  the  ship,  and 
as  soon  as  we  were  in  the  water  we  struck  out  for  one  of 
the  West  Indiamen  close  to  us.  The  sentry  at  the  gang- 
way saw  the  light  in  the  water  made  by  our  swimming 


Master  man  Ready  199 

through  it,  and  he  hailed,  of  course  :  we  gave  no  answer, 
but  swam  as  fast  as  we  could  ;  for,  after  he  had  hailed  we 
heard  a  bustle,  and  we  knew  that  the  officer  of  the  watch 
was  manning  a  boat  to  send  after  us.  I  had  just  caught 
hold  of  the  cable  of  the  West  Indiaman,  and  was  about  to 
climb  up  by  it,  for  I  was  a  few  yards  before  Hastings,  when 
I  heard  a  loud  shriek,  and,  turning  round,  perceived  a 
shark  plunging  down  with  Hastings  in  his  jaws.  I  was  so 
frightened,  that  for  a  short  time  I  could  not  move :  at  last 
I  recovered  myself,  and  began  to  climb  up  by  the  cable  as 
fast  as  I  could.  I  was  just  in  time,  for  another  shark  made 
a  rush  at  me ;  and  although  I  was  clear  out  of  the  water 
more  than  two  feet,  he  sprung  up  and  just  caught  my  shoe 
by  the  heel,  which  he  took  down  with  him.  Fear  gave  me 
strength,  and  in  a  second  or  two  afterwards  I  was  up  at 
the  hawse-holes,  and  the  men  on  board,  who  had  been 
looking  over  the  bows,  and  had  witnessed  poor  Hastings' 
death,  helped  me  on  board,  and  hurried  me  down  below, 
for  the  boat  from  our  ship  was  now  nearly  alongside. 
When  the  officer  of  the  boat  came  on  board,  they  told  him 
they  had  perceived  us  both  in  the  water,  close  to  their 
vessel,  and  that  the  sharks  had  taken  us  down.  As  the 
shriek  of  Hastings  was  heard  by  the  people  in  the  boat, 
the  officer  believed  that  it  was  the  case,  and  returned  to  the 
ship.  I  heard  the  drum  beat  to  quarters  on  board  of  the 
man-of-war,  that  they  might  ascertain  who  were  the  two 
men  who  had  attempted  to  swim  away,  and  a  few  minutes 
afterwards  they  beat  the  retreat,  having  put  down  D.  D. 
against  my  name  on  the  books,  as  well  as  against  that  of 
poor  Hastings." 

"  What  does  D.  D.  mean  ?  " 

"  D.  stands  for  discharged  from  the  service ;  D.D. 
stands  for  dead,"  replied  Ready ;  "  and  it  was  only 
through  the  mercy  of  Providence  that  I  was  not  so." 

"  It  was  a  miraculous  escape  indeed,"  observed  Mr 
Seagrave. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  sir ;  I  can  hardly  describe  my  sensations 
for  some    hours  afterwards.     I  tried  to  sleep,  but  could 


200  Masterman  Ready 

not — I  was  in  agony.  The  moment  I  slumbered,  I  thought 
the  shark  had  hold  of  me,  and  I  would  start  up  and 
shriek ;  and  then  I  said  my  prayers  and  tried  to  go  to 
sleep  again,  but  it  was  of  no  use.  The  captain  of  the 
West  Indiaman  was  afraid  that  my  shrieks  would  be  heard, 
and  he  sent  me  down  a  tumbler  of  rum  to  drink  off;  this 
composed  me,  and  at  last  I  fell  into  a  sound  sleep.  When 
I  awoke,  I  found  that  the  ship  was  under  weigh  and  with 
all  canvas  set,  surrounded  by  more  than  one  hundred 
other  vessels ;  the  men-of-war  who  took  charge  of  the 
convoy  firing  guns  and  making  signals  incessantly.  It 
was  a  glorious  sight,  and  we  were  bound  for  old  England. 
I  felt  so  happy,  that  I  thought  I  would  risk  the  jaws  of 
another  shark  to  have  regained  my  liberty,  and  the  chance 
of  being  once  more  on  shore  in  my  own  country,  and  able 
to  go  to  Newcastle  and  see  my  poor  mother." 

"  I  am  afraid  that  your  miraculous  escape  did  you  very 
little  good,  Ready,"  observed  Mrs  Seagrave,  "  if  you  got 
over  it  so  soon." 

"Indeed,  madam,  it  was  not  so;  that  was  only  the 
feeling  which  the  first  sight  of  the  vessels  under  weigh  for 
England  produced  upon  me.  I  can  honestly  say,  that  I 
was  a  better  and  more  serious  person  ;  not  but  what  I  am 
bad  enough  and  a  sinful  creature  now,  but  I  was  from  that 
day  better  than  I  was  before.  The  very  next  night,  when 
I  was  in  my  hammock,  I  prayed  very  fervently ;  and  there 
happened  to  be  a  very  good  old  Scotchman  on  board,  the 
second  mate,  who  talked  very  seriously  to  me,  and  pointed 
out  how  wonderful  had  been  my  preservation,  and  I  felt 
it.  It  was  he  who  first  read  the  Bible  with  me,  and  made 
me  understand  it,  and,  I  may  say,  become  fond  of  it.  I 
did  my  duty  on  our  passage  home  as  a  seaman  before  the 
mast,  and  the  captain  was  pleased  with  me.  I  had  told 
the  history  of  my  life  to  the  second  mate,  and  he  pointed 
out  to  me  how  foolish  and  wrong  I  had  been  to  leave  my 
mother,  and  refuse  the  assistance  of  Mr  Masterman.  I  felt 
that  he  was  right,  and  I  felt  more  impatient  than  ever  to 
throw  myself  into  my  mother's  arms  and  ask  her  forgive- 


Masterman  Ready  201 

ness.  The  ship  I  was  in  was  bound  to  Glasgow,  and  we 
parted  company  with  the  convoy  at  North  Foreland,  and 
arrived  safe  in  port.  The  captain  took  me  to  the  owners, 
who  paid  me  fifteen  guineas  for  my  services  during  the 
voyage  home ;  and  as  soon  as  I  received  the  money,  I  set 
off  for  Newcastle  as  fast  as  I  could.  I  had  taken  a  place 
on  the  outside  of  the  coach,  and  I  entered  into  conversa- 
tion with  a  gentleman  who  sat  next  to  me.  I  soon  found 
out  that  he  belonged  to  Newcastle,  and  I  first  inquired  if 
Mr  Masterman,  the  shipbuilder,  was  still  alive.  He  told 
me  that  he  had  been  dead  about  three  months.  *  And  to 
whom  did  he  leave  his  money  ? '  I  asked,  '  for  he  was  very 
rich,  and  had  no  kin.'  '  He  had  no  relations,'  replied  the 
gentleman,  '  and  he  left  all  his  money  to  build  an  hospital 
and  almshouses.  He  had  a  partner  in  his  business  latterly, 
and  he  left  the  yard  and  all  the  stores  to  him,  I  believe, 
because  he  did  not  know  whom  to  leave  it  to.  There  was 
a  lad  whom  I  knew  for  certain  he  intended  to  have  adopted 
and  to  have  made  his  heir — a  lad  of  the  name  of  Ready  •, 
but  he  ran  away  to  sea,  and  has  never  been  heard  of  since. 
It  is  supposed  that  he  was  lost  in  a  prize,  for  he  was  traced 
so  far.  Foolish  boy  that  he  was,  he  might  now  have  been 
a  man  of  fortune.' 

"  'Very  foolish  indeed,'  replied  I. 
.  "  '  Yes ;   but  he  has  harmed  more  than  himself.     His 
poor  mother,  who  doted  upon  him,  as  soon  as  she  heard 
that  he  was  lost,  pined  away  by  degrees,  and ' — 

"  '  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  she  is  dead  ? '  interrupted 
I ;  seizing  the  gentleman  by  the  arm. 

"  '  Yes,'  replied  he,  looking  at  me  with  surprise  ;  e  she 
died  last  year  of  a  broken  heart.' 

"  I  fell  back  on  the  luggage  behind  me,  and  should 
have  fallen  off  the  coach  if  the  gentleman  had  not  held 
me.  He  called  to  the  coachman  to  pull  up  the  horses, 
and  they  took  me  down,  and  put  me  inside :  fortunately 
there  was  no  one  there  ;  and  as  the  coach  rolled  on,  I  cried 
as  if  my  heart  would  break." 

Ready  appeared  so  very  much  affected,  that  Mr  Seagrave 


202  Masterman  Ready- 

proposed  that  he  should  leave  off  his  history  for  the  present, 
and  that  they  should  retire  to  rest. 

"  Thank  you,  sir,  it  will  be  better:  for  I  feel  my  old 
eyes  dim  with  tears,  even  now.  It's  a  dreadful  thing  in 
after-life  to  reflect  upon,  that  your  foolish  conduct  has 
hastened  the  death  of  a  most  kind  mother  ;  but  so  it  was, 
Master  William,  and  I  give  you  the  truth  for  your  advan- 
tage. I  told  you  that  portions  of  my  life  would  serve  as  a 
warning  ;  let  them  not  be  thrown  away  upon  you.  God 
bless  you,  sir  !     God  bless  you,  madam  !     Good-night." 


Chapter  XL 

A  few  mornings  afterwards,  Juno  came  in  before  break- 
fast with  six  eggs  in  her  apron,  which  she  had  found  in 
the  hen-house. 

"  Look,  Missy  Seagrave — fowls  lay  eggs — soon  have 
plenty — plenty  for  Master  William — make  him  well  again 
— and  plenty  for  chickens  by-and-bye." 

"  You  haven't  taken  them  all  out  of  the  nests,  Juno ; 
have  you  ? " 

"  No,  Missy  ; — leave  one  in  each  nest  for  hen  to  see." 

"Well,  then,  we  will  keep  them  for  William,  and  I 
hope,  as  you  say,  it  will  make  him  strong  again." 

"I  am  getting  quite  strong  now,  mother,"  replied 
William  ;  "I  think  it  would  be  better  to  leave  the  eggs 
for  the  hens  to  sit  upon." 

"  No,  no,  William  ;  your  health  is  of  more  consequence 
than  having  early  chickens." 

"  Tommy  likes  eggs  very  much,"  said  Tommy. 

"  Yes  ;  but  Tommy  cannot  have  any  at  present  :  Tommy 
is  not  ill." 

"  Tommy  have  a  stomach-ache,"  replied  Tommy. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  you  are  a  little  story-teller,  Tommy  ; 
and  if  you  have  a  stomach-ache,  eggs  would  be  bad  for 
you." 


Masterman  Ready  203 

"  Tommy  got  a  headache,"  replied  the  boy. 

"  Eggs  are  not  good  for  headaches,  Tommy,"  replied 
his  father. 

"  Tommy  ill  all  over,"  replied  Tommy  again. 

"  Then  Tommy  must  be  put  to  bed,  and  have  a  dose  of 
castor  oil." 

"  Tommy  don't  want  castor  oil ;  Tommy  wants  eggs." 

"  Yes,  but  Tommy  won't  get  eggs,"  replied  his  father, 
"  so  he  may  as  well  leave  off  telling  fibs ;  when  there  are 
plenty  of  eggs,  Tommy  will  have  one,  if  he  is  a  good  boy, 
and  not  otherwise." 

"  I  have  promised  Caroline  that  she  is  to  take  care  of 
the  chickens,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  "  and  I  think  she  must 
have  the  egg  department  also ;  she  promises  to  be  a  very 
useful  little  girl." 

For  a  few  days  Mr  Seagrave  and  Ready  were  employed 
at  the  garden  clearing  away  the  weeds,  which  had  begun 
to  sprout  up  along  with  the  seeds,  which  had  been  sown ; 
during  which  time  William  recovered  very  fast.  The  two 
first  days,  Juno  brought  in  three  or  four  eggs  regularly  \ 
but  on  the  third  day  there  were  none  to  be  found.  On 
the  fourth  day  the  hens  appeared  also  not  to  have  laid, 
much  to  the  surprise  of  Mrs  Seagrave ;  as  when  hens 
commence  laying  eggs  they  usually  continue.  On  the 
fifth  morning,  when  they  sat  down  to  breakfast,  Master 
Tommy  did  not  make  his  appearance,  and  Mrs  Seagrave 
asked  where  he  was. 

"  I  suspect,  madam,"  said  old  Ready,  laughing,  "  that 
Master  Tommy  will  not  come  either  to  his  breakfast  or 
his  dinner  to-day." 

"What  can  you  mean,  Ready  ?"  said  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"Why,  madam,  I  will  tell  you.  I  thought  it  very  odd 
that  there  were  no  eggs,  and  I  thought  it  probable  that 
the  hens  might  have  laid  astray  ;  so  I  went  about  yesterday 
evening  to  search.  I  could  not  find  any  eggs,  but  I  found 
the  egg-shells,  hid  under  some  cocoa-nut  leaves ;  and 
I  argued  that  if  an  animal,  supposing  there  was  any  on  the 
island,  had  taken  the  eggs,  it  would  not  have  been  so 


204  Masterman  Ready- 

careful  to  hide  the  egg-shells.  So,  this  morning,  I  fastened 
up  the  door  of  the  hen-house,  and  only  left  open  the  little 
sliding-door,  by  which  the  fowls  go  into  roost ;  and  then, 
after  you  were  up,  I  watched  behind  the  trees,  and  saw 
Master  Tommy  come  out,  and  go  to  the  hen-house.  He 
tried  the  door,  and  finding  it  fast,  he  then  crept  into  the 
hen-house  by  the  little  sliding-door.  As  soon  as  he  was 
in,  I  let  down  the  slide,  and  fastened  it  with  a  nail ;  so, 
there  he  is,  caught  in  his  own  trap." 

"  And  there  shall  he  remain  all  day,  the  little  glutton !  " 
said  Mr  Seagrave,  who  was  much  amused. 

"  Yes,  it  will  serve  him  right,"  replied  Mrs  Seagrave ; 
"  and  be  a  lesson  to  him.  We  will  take  no  notice  of  him 
whatever,  if  he  halloos  and  screams  for  an  hour." 

"Oh,  Massa  Tommy,  me  very  glad  you  cotch  at  last; 
teach  you  not  to  suck  eggs,"  said  Juno:  "Now  you  got 
nothing  to  eat ;  you  not  like  that." 

Mr  Seagrave,  Ready,  and  William,  as  usual,  went 
down  to  their  work ;  Mrs  Seagrave  and  Juno,  with  little 
Caroline,  were  busy  indoors ;  Tommy  remained  very 
quiet  for  an  hour,  when  he  commenced  roaring ;  but 
it  was  of  no  use,  no  one  paid  any  attention  to  him. 
At  dinner-time  he  began  to  roar  again,  but  with  as 
little  success :  it  was  not  till  the  evening  that  the  door 
of  the  hen-house  was  opened,  and  Master  Tommy  per- 
mitted to  come  out.  He  looked  very  foolish ;  and  sat 
down  in  a  corner  without  speaking. 

"Well,  Master  Tommy,  how  many  eggs  did  you  suck 
to-day  ? "  said  Ready. 

"  Tommy  won't  suck  eggs  any  more,"  said  the 
urchin. 

"No,  you  had  better  not,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,  "or 
you  will  find,  in  the  end,  that  you  will  have  less  to  eat, 
instead  of  more,  as  you  have  this  day." 

"  I  want  my  dinner,"  said  Tommy. 

"  You'll  have  no  dinner  this  day,  you  may  be  sure," 
said  Mrs  Seagrave;  "we  can't  allow  you  dinner  and 
eggs  both ;  and  if  you  cry,  I  will  lock  you  up  in  the  hen- 


Masterman  Ready  205 

house  all  night :  you  must  now  wait  patiently  till  supper- 


time." 


Tommy  found  that  he  could  not  help  himself,  so  he 
waited  very  quietly  and  very  sulkily  tiJl  supper  was 
ready,  when  he  made  up  for  lost  time.  After  which 
Ready  continued  his  narrative. 

"I  told  you,  Master  William,  that  I  was  informed  by 
the  gentleman  on  the  coach  that  my  mother  had  died  of 
a  broken  heart,  in  consequence  of  my  supposed  death. 
I  was  in  an  agony  until  I  arrived  at  Newcastle,  where 
I  could  ascertain  all  the  facts  connected  with  her  decease. 
When  the  coach  stopped,  the  gentleman,  who  had  re- 
mained outside,  came  to  the  coach  door,  and  said  to  me, 
'  If  I  mistake  not,  you  are  Masterman  Ready,  who  ran 
away  to  sea ;  are  you  not  ? '  '  Yes,  sir,'  replied  I,  very 
sorrowfully,  '  I  am.'  '  Well,  my  man,'  said  he,  '  cheer 
up ;  when  you  went  away  you  were  young  and  thought- 
less, and  certainly  had  no  idea  that  you  would  have 
distressed  your  mother  as  you  did.  It  was  not  your 
going  to  sea,  but  the  report  of  your  death,  which  preyed 
so  much  upon  her  mind ;  and  that  was  not  your  fault. 
You  must  come  with  me,  as  I  have  something  to  say  to 
you.' 

il<I  will  call  upon  you  to-morrow,  sir,'  replied  I; 
'  X  cannot  do  anything  until  I  talk  to  the  neighbours 
and  visit  my  poor  mother's  grave.  It  is  very  true  that 
I  did  not  intend  to  distress  my  mother ;  and  that  the 
report  of  my  death  was  no  fault  of  mine.  But  I  cannot 
help  feeling  that,  if  I  had  not  been  so  thoughtless,  she 
would  be  still  alive  and  happy.'  Great  mischief  is  brought 
about  by  very  slight  causes  in  this  world,  Master  William  -, 
and  if,  before  we  did  anything,  we  were  to  reflect  upon 
what  the  consequences  might  be,  we  should  all  be  much 
wiser  and  much  better.  The  gentleman  gave  me  his 
address,  and  I  promised  to  call  upon  him  the  next  morning. 
I  then  went  to  the  house  my  mother  used  to  live  in. 
I  knew  that  she  was  not  there ;  yet  I  was  disappointed 


206  Masterman  Ready 

and  annoyed  when  I  heard  merry  laughter  within.  I 
looked  in,  for  the  door  was  open  ;  in  the  corner  where 
my  mother  used  to  sit,  there  was  a  mangle,  and  two 
women  busily  at  work ;  others  were  ironing  at  a  large 
table ;  and  when  they  cried  out  to  me,  *  What  do  you 
want  ? '  and  laughed  at  me,  I  turned  away  in  disgust, 
and  went  to  a  neighbouring  cottage,  the  inmates  of  which 
had  been  very  intimate  with  my  mother.  I  found  the 
wife  at  home,  but  she  did  not  know  me ;  and  I  told  her 
who  I  was.  She  had  attended  my  mother  during  her 
illness,  till  the  day  of  her  death ;  and  she  told  me  all 
I  wished  to  know.  It  was  some  little  relief  to  my  mind 
to  hear  that  my  poor  mother  could  not  have  lived,  as 
she  had  an  incurable  cancer ;  but  at  the  same  time  the 
woman  told  me  that  I  was  ever  in  her  thoughts,  and 
that  my  name  was  the  last  word  on  her  lips.  She  also 
said  that  Mr  Masterman  had  been  very  kind  to  my  mother, 
and  that  she  had  wanted  nothing.  I  then  asked  her  to 
show  me  where  my  mother  had  been  buried.  She  put 
on  her  bonnet,  and  led  me  to  the  grave,  and  then,  at 
my  request,  she  left  me.  I  seated  myself  down  by  the 
mound  of  turf  which  covered  her,  and  long  and  bitterly 
did  I  weep  her  loss  and  pray  for  forgiveness. 

"  It  was  quite  dark  when  I  left  the  spot  and  went  back 
to  the  cottage  of  the  kind  woman  who  had  attended  my 
mother.  I  conversed  with  her  and  her  husband  till  late, 
and  then,  as  they  offered  me  a  bed,  I  remained  with  them 
that  night.  Next  morning  I  went  to  keep  my  appointment 
with  the  gentleman  whom  I  had  met  in  the  coach :  I  found 
by  the  brass  plate  on  the  door  that  he  was  a  lawyer.  He 
desired  me  to  sit  down,  and  then  he  closed  the  door  care- 
fully, and,  having  asked  me  many  questions  to  ascertain 
if  I  was  really  Masterman  Ready,  he  said  he  was  the 
person  employed  at  Mr  Masterman's  death,  and  that  he 
had  found  a  paper  which  was  of  great  consequence,  as 
it  proved  that  the  insurance  of  the  vessel,  which  had 
belonged  to  my  father  and  Mr  Masterman,  and  which  had 
been  lost,  had  not  been  made  on  Mr  Masterman's  share 


Masterman  Ready  207 

only,  but  upon  my  father's  as  well,  and  that  Mr  Master- 
man  had  defrauded  my  mother.  He  said  he  had  found  the 
paper  in  a  secret  drawer  some  time  after  Mr  Masterman's 
death,  and  that  my  mother  being  dead,  and  I  being 
supposed  to  be  dead,  he  did  not  see  any  use  in  making 
known  so  disagreeable  a  circumstance  ;  but  that  now  I  had 
re-appeared  it  was  his  duty  so  to  do,  and  that  he  would 
arrange  the  matter  for  me,  if  I  pleased,  with  the  corpora- 
tion of  the  town,  to  whom  all  Mr  Masterman's  property 
had  been  left  in  trust  to  build  an  hospital  and  almshouses. 
He  said  that  the  insurance  on  the  vessel  was  three 
thousand  pounds,  and  that  one-third  of  the  vessel  belonged 
to  my  father,  so  that  a  thousand  pounds  were  due  to  him, 
which  the  interest  for  so  many  years  would  increase  to 
above  two  thousand  pounds.  This  was  good  news  for 
me,  and  you  may  suppose  I  readily  agreed  to  all  he 
proposed.  He  set  to  work  at  once,  and  having  called 
together  the  mayor  and  corporation  of  the  town,  and 
proved  the  document,  they  immediately  agreed  that  I  was 
entitled  to  the  money,  and  that  it  should  be  paid  to  me 
without  any  contest.  Thus  you  see,  Master  William,  was 
a  new  temptation  thrown  in  my  way." 

"  How  do  you  mean  a  temptation  ?  It  surely  was  very 
fortunate,  Ready,"  said  William. 

"  Yes,  Master  William,  it  was,  as  people  say,  fortunate, 
according  to  the  ideas  of  the  world  ;  everyone  congratu- 
lated me,  and  I  was  myself  so  inflated  with  my  good 
fortune,  that  I  forgot  all  the  promises  of  amendment, 
all  the  vows  of  leading  a  good  life,  which  I  made  over 
my  poor  mother's  grave.  Now  do  you  perceive  why  I 
called  it  a  temptation,  Master  William  ?  " 

"  My  dear  child,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  "  riches  and 
prosperity  in  this  world  prove  often  the  greatest  of 
temptations  ;  it  is  adversity  that  chastens  and  amends  us, 
and  which  draws  us  to  our  God.  Hath  not  our  Saviour 
declared,  '  That  it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  pass  through  the 
eye  of  a  needle  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  ? '  this  is  intended  to  be  understood 


208  Masterman  Ready- 

as  a  metaphor,  not  as  a  positive  assertion ;  and  is  explained 
by  our  Lord  himself  in  a  similar  passage,  where  he  says, 
*  How  hard  is  it  for  them  that  trust  in  riches  to  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God  ! '  This  expression  of  our  Saviour  is 
followed  up  in  the  Litany  of  our  church  service,  in  which 
we  make  this  solemn  appeal  :  '  In  all  time  of  tribulation,  in 
all  time  of  our  wealth,  in  the  hour  of  death,  and  in  the 
day  of  judgment,  good  Lord  deliver  us.'  Great,  indeed, 
must  be  the  peril  of  wealth,  when  it  is  thus  coupled  with 
such  awful  positions  as  '  the  hour  of  death  and  the  day  of 
judgment.'  Ready,  therefore,  was  correct  in  asserting 
that  the  sudden  accession  to  so  large  a  sum  of  money 
was  a  temptation  ;  and  you  perceive,  by  his  own  acknow- 
ledgment, that  he  could  not  resist  it,  but  forgot  all  his 
good  resolutions." 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  you  have  well  explained  it ;  and  such  was 
the  fact.  As  soon  as  the  money  was  in  my  own  hands, 
I  began  to  squander  it  away  in  all  manner  of  folly. 
Fortunately,  I  had  not  received  it  more  than  ten  days, 
when  the  Scotch  second  mate  came  like  a  guardian  angel 
to  save  me.  As  soon  as  I  had  made  known  to  him 
what  had  taken  place,  he  reasoned  with  me,  pointed  out  to 
me  that  I  had  an  opportunity  of  establishing  myself  for 
life,  and  proposed  that  I  should  purchase  a  part  of  a 
vessel,  on  condition  that  I  was  captain  of  her.  I  liked  this 
idea  very  much,  and  being  convinced  that  I  had  been 
making  a  fool  of  myself,  I  resolved  to  take  his  advice  ; 
but  one  thing  only  restrained  me  :  I  was  still  very  young, 
not  more  than  twenty  years  old  ;  and  although  I  could 
navigate  at  one  time,  I  had  latterly  paid  no  attention. 
I  told  Sanders  this,  and  he  replied,  that  if  I  would  take 
him  as  my  first  mate,  that  difficulty  would  be  got  over,  as 
he  could  navigate  well,  and  that  I  could  learn  to  do  so 
in  the  first  voyage  ;  so  all  was  arranged. 

"  Fortunately,  I  had  not  spent  above  one  hundred 
pounds  of  the  money — quite  enough  too  in  so  short  a  time. 
I  set  off  for  Glasgow,  in  company  with  Sanders,  and  he 
busied  himself  very  hard  in  looking  about  for  a  vessel  that 


Masterman  Ready  209 

would  suit.  At  last,  he  found  that  there  was  one  ready 
for  launching,  which,  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  the 
house  for  which  it  was  built,  was  to  be  sold.  He  made 
inquiries,  and  having  found  who  was  likely  to  purchase 
her — that  it  was  a  very  safe  and  respectable  firm — he 
made  a  proposal  for  me  that  I  should  take  one-fourth  share 
of  her,  and  command  her.  As  Sanders  was  very  respect- 
able, and  well  known  to  be  a  steady  man,  his  recommenda- 
tion was  attended  to  so  far,  that  the  parties  wished  to  see 
and  speak  to  me.  They  were  satisfied  with  me,  young  as 
I  was,  and  the  bargain  was  made.  I  paid  down  my  two 
thousand  pounds  for  my  share,  and  as  soon  as  the  vessel 
was  launched,  was  very  busy  with  Sanders,  whom  I  had 
chosen  as  first  mate,  in  fitting  her  out.  The  house  which 
had  purchased  her  with  me  was  a  West  India  firm,  and  the 
ship  was  of  course  intended  for  the  West  India  trade.  I 
had  two  or  three  hundred  pounds  left,  after  I  had  paid  my 
share  of  the  vessel,  and  this  I  employed  in  purchasing  a 
venture  on  my  own  account,  and  providing  nautical  instru- 
ments, &c.  I  also  fitted  myself  out,  for  you  see,  Master 
William,  although  Sanders  had  persuaded  me  to  be  rational, 
I  was  still  puffed  up  with  pride  at  the  idea  of  being  captain 
of  my  own  ship ;  it  was  too  great  a  rise  for  one  who  had 
just  before  been  a  lad  in  the  mizen-top  of  a  man-of-war. 
I  dressed  myself  very  smart — wore  white  shirts,  and  rings 
on  my  fingers ;  I  even  put  on  gloves,  and  tried  to  make 
my  hands  white.  Indeed,  as  captain  and  part  owner  of  a 
fine  vessel,  I  was  considered  as  somebody,  and  was  often 
invited  to  the  table  of  the  other  owners  of  the  vessel.  I 
was  well  off,  for  my  pay  was  ten  pounds  a  month,  inde- 
pendent of  what  my  own  venture  might  produce,  and  my 
quarter-share  of  the  profits  of  the  vessel.  This  may  be 
considered  as  the  most  prosperous  portion  of  my  life ;  and 
so,  if  you  please,  we  will  leave  off  here  for  to-night,  for  I 
may  as  well  tell  you  at  once  that  it  did  not  last  very  long." 


aio  Masterman  Ready- 


Chapter  XLI 

For  several  days  after,  they  were  employed  in  clearing 
away  the  stumps  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees  in  the  winding 
path  to  the  storehouse ;  and  as  soon  as  that  work  was 
finished,  Ready  put  up  a  lightning  conductor  at  the  side 
of  the  storehouse,  like  the  one  which  he  had  put  up  near 
to  the  cottage.  They  had  now  got  through  all  the  work 
that  they  had  arranged  to  do  during  the  rainy  season. 
The  ewes  had  dropped  their  lambs,  but  both  the  sheep 
and  the  goats  began  to  suffer  for  want  of  pasture.  For  a 
week  they  had  no  rain,  and  the  sun  burst  out  very  power- 
fully ;  and  Ready  stated,  that  it  was  his  opinion  that  the 
rainy  season  was  now  over.  William  had  become  quite 
strong  again,  and  he  was  very  impatient  that  they  should 
commence  the  survey  of  the  island,  and  very  anxious  to 
be  of  the  party.  After  a  great  deal  of  consultation,  it  was 
at  last  settled,  that  Ready  and  William  should  make  the 
first  survey  to  the  southward,  and  then  return  and  report 
what  they  had  discovered.  This  was  decided  upon  on  the 
Saturday  evening,  and  on  the  Monday  morning  they  were 
to  start.  The  knapsacks  were  got  ready,  and  well  filled 
with  boiled  salt  pork,  and  flat  cakes  of  bread,  made  by 
Juno.  They  were  each  to  have  a  musket  and  ammunition, 
and  a  blanket  was  folded  up  to  carry  on  the  shoulders,  that 
they  might  sleep  on  it  at  night.  Ready  did  not  forget  his 
compass,  or  the  small  axes,  for  them  to  blaze  the  trees  as 
they  went  through  the  wood.  The  whole  of  Saturday 
was  occupied  in  making  their  preparations.  After  supper, 
Ready  said,  "  Now,  Master  William,  before  we  start  on 
our  travels,  I  think  I  may  as  well  wind  up  my  history. 
I  haven't  a  great  deal  more  to  tell,  as  my  good  fortune  did 
not  last  long ;  and  after  my  remaining  so  long  in  a  French 
prison,  my  life  was  one  continued  chapter  of  from  bad  to 
worse.  I  left  off  where  I  had  purchased  a  share  of  a 
merchant  vessel,  and  was,  in  my  opinion,  on  the  full  trip 


Masterman  Ready  211 

to  fortune  :  so  now  to  proceed.  Our  ship  was  soon  ready, 
and  we  sailed  with  convoy  for  Barbadoes.  Sanders  proved 
a  good  navigator,  and  from  him,  before  we  arrived  at  Bar- 
badoes, I  gained  all  the  knowledge  which  I  required  to 
enable  me  to  command  and  navigate  my  vessel.  Sanders 
attempted  to  renew  our  serious  conversation,  but  my 
property  had  made  me  vain ;  and  now  that  I  felt  I  could 
do  without  his  assistance,  I  not  only  kept  him  at  a  distance, 
but  assumed  the  superior.  This  was  a  very  ungrateful 
return  for  his  kindness  to  me,  Master  William ;  but  it  is 
too  often  the  case  in  this  world.  Sanders  was  very  much 
annoyed,  and  on  our  arrival  at  Barbadoes,  he  told  me  that 
it  was  his  intention  to  quit  the  vessel.  I  replied  very 
haughtily,  that  he  might  do  as  he  pleased ;  the  fact  is,  I 
was  anxious  to  get  rid  of  him,  merely  because  I  was  under 
obligations  to  him :  I  tell  this  to  my  shame,  Master 
William.  Well,  sir,  Sanders  left  me,  and  I  felt  quite 
happy  at  his  departure.  My  ship  was  soon  with  a  full 
cargo  of  sugar  on  board  of  her,  and  we  waited  for  convoy 
to  England.  When  at  Barbadoes,  I  had  an  opportunity 
to  buy  four  brass  guns,  which  I  mounted  on  deck,  and 
had  a  good  supply  of  ammunition  on  board.  I  was  very 
proud  of  my  vessel,  as  she  had  proved  in  the  voyage  out 
to  be  a  very  fast  sailer :  indeed,  she  sailed  better  than 
some  of  the  men-of-war  which  convoyed  us  ;  and  now  that 
I  had  guns  on  board,  I  considered  myself  quite  safe  from 
any  of  the  enemies'  privateers.  While  we  were  waiting 
for  convoy,  which  was  not  expected  for  a  fortnight,  it 
blew  a  very  heavy  gale,  and  my  ship,  as  well  as  others, 
dragged  their  anchors,  and  were  driven  out  of  Carlyle 
Bay.  We  were  obliged  to  make  sail  to  beat  into  the  bay 
again,  it  still  blowing  very  fresh.  What  with  being  tired 
waiting  so  long  for  convoy,  and  the  knowledge  that 
arriving  before  the  other  West  Indiamen  would  be  very 
advantageous,  I  made  up  my  mind  that,  instead  of  beating 
up  into  the  bay  again,  I  would  run  for  England  without 
protection,  trusting  to  the  fast  sailing  of  my  vessel  and  the 
guns  which  I  had  on  board.     I  forgot  at  the  time  that  the 


2  1 2  Masterman  Ready- 

insurance  on  the  vessel  was  made  in  England  as  '  sailing 
with  convoy,'  and  that  my  sailing  without  would  render 
the  insurance  void,  if  any  misfortune  occurred.  Well,  sir, 
I  made  sail  for  England,  and  for  three  weeks  everything 
went  on  well.  We  saw  very  few  vessels,  and  those 
which  did  chase  us  could  not  come  up  with  us ;  but  as  we 
were  running  with  a  fair  wind  up  channel,  and  I  had  made 
sure  of  being  in  port  before  night,  a  French  privateer  hove 
in  sight  and  gave  chase.  We  were  obliged  to  haul  our 
wind,  and  it  blowing  very  fast,  we  carried  away  our  main- 
top-mast. This  accident  was  fatal ;  the  privateer  came 
alongside  of  us  and  laid  us  by  the  board,  and  that  night  I 
was  in  a  French  prison,  and,  I  may  say,  a  pauper ;  for  the 
insurance  of  the  vessel  was  void,  from  my  having  sailed 
without  convoy.  I  felt  that  I  had  no  one  to  thank  but 
myself  for  the  unfortunate  position  I  was  in  ;  at  all  events, 
I  was  severely  punished,  for  I  remained  a  prisoner  for 
nearly  six  years.  I  contrived  to  escape  with  three  or  four 
others ;  we  suffered  dreadfully,  and  at  last  arrived  in 
England,  in  a  Swedish  vessel,  without  money,  or  even 
clothes  that  would  keep  out  the  weather.  Of  course,  I 
had  nothing  to  do  but  to  look  out  for  a  berth  on  board  of 
a  ship,  and  I  tried  for  that  of  second  mate,  but  without 
success  ;  I  was  too  ragged,  and  looked  too  miserable ;  so  I 
determined,  as  I  was  starving,  to  go  before  the  mast. 
There  was  a  fine  vessel  in  the  port ;  I  went  on  board  to 
offer  myself;  the  mate  went  down  to  the  captain,  who 
came  on  deck,  and  who  should  he  be  but  Sanders  !  I  hoped 
that  he  would  not  remember  me,  but  he  did  immediately, 
and  held  out  his  hand.  I  never  did  feel  so  ashamed  in  my 
life  as  I  did  then.  Sanders  perceived  it,  and  asked  me 
down  into  the  cabin.  I  then  told  him  all  that  had 
happened,  and  he  appeared  to  forget  that  I  had  behaved 
so  ill  to  him  ;  he  offered  me  a  berth  on  board,  and  money 
in  advance  to  fit  me  out.  But  if  he  would  not  remember 
my  conduct,  I  could  not  forget  it,  and  I  told  him  so,  and 
begged  his  forgiveness.  Well,  sir,  that  good  man,  as  long 
as  he  lived,  was  my  friend.     I  became  his  second  mate 


Masterman  Ready  21 


o 


before  he  died,  and  we  were  again  very  intimate.  My 
misfortunes  had  humbled  me,  and  I  once  more  read  the 
Bible  with  him ;  and  I  have,  I  trust,  done  so  ever  since. 
When  he  died,  I  continued  second  mate  for  some  time, 
and  then  was  displaced.  Since  that,  I  have  always  been  as 
a  common  seaman  on  board  of  different  vessels  ;  but  I  have 
been  well  treated  and  respected,  and  I  may  add,  I  have  not 
been  unhappy,  for  I  felt  that  property  would  have  only  led 
me  into  follies,  and  have  made  me  forget,  that  in  this 
world  we  are  to  live  so  as  to  prepare  ourselves  for  another. 
Now,  Master  William,  you  have  the  history  of  Masterman 
Ready  ;  and  I  hope  that  there  are  portions  of  it  which  may 
prove  useful  to  you.  I  am  now  an  old  man,  and  weaned 
from  the  things  of  this  world ;  all  I  hope  is  to  die  in 
peace,  and  be  useful  until  it  pleases  God  to  call  me  away." 

"Useful  you  have  been,  indeed,  lately,"  said  Mrs 
Seagrave ;  "  and  I  hope  you  will  live  a  long  while  yet, 
Ready,  and  have  a  happy  old  age." 

"  It  will  be  as  God  pleases,  madam,"  replied  Ready  j 
"  but  sailors  are  not  long-lived.  I  feel  as  if  I  could  pass 
the  remainder  of  my  days  on  this  little  island  with  perfect 
content.  I  know  you  all  feel  otherwise,  but  that  is 
natural.  I  am  an  old  man  already,  and  have  nothing  to 
look  forward  to ;  I  have  no  relations,  no  children  ;  and  all 
I  require  is,  employment  to  amuse  me,  and  my  Bible  to 
teach  me  how  to  die.  You  are  all  young  compared  to  me, 
and  naturally  look  forward.  For  your  sakes,  and  not  for 
my  own,  I  sincerely  hope  we  shall  be  searched  for,  and 
found,  and  that  you  may  return  to  the  busy  world.  As 
for  myself,  I  would  willingly  remain  upon  the  island  for 
the  remainder  of  my  days,  and  have  the  boughs  of  the 
cocoa-nut  trees  waving  over  my  grave.  I  don't  know,  but 
I  really  have  a  kind  of  feeling  that  such  will  be  the  case, 
and  I  dwell  upon  the  idea  with  pleasure." 

"  No,  no,  Ready,  you  must  not  think  of  that ;  you  must 
go  back  with  us  one  of  these  days,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave, 
"  and  live  with  us  altogether.  We  never  part  again.  You 
must  give  up  your  seafaring  life,  and  sit  in  the  chimney 


214  Masterman  Ready 

corner,  or  bask  in  the  sun  out  of  doors,  just  as  you  please. 
You  require  repose,  and  I  trust  your  old  age  will  be  cheer- 
ful.    At  all  events,  it  shall  not  be  my  fault  if  it  is  not," 

"  Nor  mine,  Ready,  I  assure  you,"  added  Mrs  Seagrave ; 
"  I  should  feel  uncomfortable  if  I  were  ever  to  be  parted 
from  you  again." 

"  Thank  you,  madam,  and  thank  you,  sir,  both  of  you ; 
I  thank  you  kindly  for  your  good  intentions  towards  me ; 
but  there  is  One  above  who  will  decide  for  us,  and  what- 
ever he  decrees  is  right. 

"  Master  William,  we  must  be  off  betimes  to-morrow, 
and  as  we  are  all  to  breakfast  early  together,  why  I  think 
the  sooner  we  go  to  bed  the  better." 

"Very  true,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave.  "William  dear, 
bring  me  the  Bible." 


Chapter  XLII 

They  were  all  up  early  the  next  morning,  and  breakfasted 
at  an  early  hour.  The  fried  fish  was  excellent,  and  Master 
Tommy  was  nearly  choked  by  a  bone,  which  stuck  in  his 
throat,  in  consequence  of  his  being  so  greedy,  and  eating 
so  fast.  However,  after  a  good  deal  of  thumping,  and 
some  alarm  on  the  part  of  Mrs  Seagrave,  Juno  forced  her 
forefinger  down  his  throat,  and  the  bone  disappeared. 
The  knapsacks  and  guns,  and  the  other  requisites  for  the 
journey,  were  all  prepared ;  William  and  Ready  rose  from 
the  table,  and  taking  an  affectionate  leave  of  Mr  and  Mrs 
Seagrave,  they  started  on  their  journey.  The  sun  was 
shining  brilliantly,  and  the  weather  had  become  warm  ;  the 
ocean  in  the  distance  gleamed  brightly,  as  its  waters  danced, 
and  the  cocoa-nut  trees  moved  their  branches  gracefully  to 
the  breeze.  They  set  off  in  high  spirits,  and  having  called 
the  two  shepherd  dogs,  and  driven  back  Vixen,  who  would 
have  joined  the  party,  they  passed  the  storehouse,  and 
ascending  the  hill  on  the  other  side,  they  got  their  hatchets 


Masterman  Ready  215 

ready  to  blaze  the  trees ;  and  Ready  having  set  his  course 
by  his  pocket  compass,  they  were  fairly  on  their  way.  For 
some  time  they  continued  to  cut  the  bark  of  the  trees  with 
their  hatchets,  without  speaking,  and  then  Ready  stopped 
again  to  look  at  his  compass. 

"  I  think  the  wood  is  thicker  here  than  ever,  Ready," 
observed  William. 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  is  ;  but  I  suspect  we  are  now  in  the  thick- 
est part  of  it,  right  in  the  middle  of  the  island ;  however, 
we  shall  soon  see.  We  must  keep  a  little  more  away  to 
the  southward.  We  had  better  get  on  as  fast  as  we  can. 
We  shall  have  less  work  by-and-bye,  and  then  we  can  talk 
better." 

For  half  an  hour  they  continued  their  way  through  the 
wood,  and,  as  Ready  had  observed,  the  trees  became  more 
distant  from  each  other  5  still,  however,  they  could  not  see 
anything  before  them  but  the  stems  of  the  cocoa-nuts.  It 
was  hard  work,  chopping  the  trees  every  second,  and  their 
foreheads  were  moist  with  the  exertion. 

"I  think  we  had  better  pull  up  for  a  few  minutes, 
Master  William ;  you  will  be  tired :  you  are  not  so 
strong  as  you  were  before  your  fever." 

"I  have  not  been  so  used  to  exercise,  Ready,  and  there- 
fore I  feel  it  more,"  replied  William,  wiping  his  face  with 
his  handkerchief  as  he  laid  his  gun  against  the  trunk  of  a 
tree.  "  I  should  like  to  stop  a  few  minutes.  How  long 
do  you  think  it  will  be  before  we  are  out  of  the  wood  ?  " 

"  Not  half  an  hour  more,  sir,  I  should  think ;  even 
before  that,  perhaps.  I  do  not  know  how  far  the  wood 
may  extend  this  way." 

"  What  do  you  expect  to  find,  Ready  ?  " 

"  That's  a  difficult  question  to  answer.  I  can  tell  you 
what  I  hope  to  find,  which  is,  a  good  space  of  clear  ground 
between  the  beach  and  the  wood,  where  we  may  pasture 
our  sheep  and  goats  ;  and  perhaps  we  may  find  some  other 
trees  besides  cocoa-nuts :  at  present,  you  know,  we  have 
seen  only  them  and  the  castor  oil  beans,  that  Master 
Tommy  took  such  a  dose  of.     You  see,  Master  William, 


216  Masterman  Ready 

there  is  no  saying  what  new  seeds  may  have  been  brought 
here  by  birds,  or  by  the  winds  and  waves." 

"  But  will  those  seeds  grow  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Master  William ;  I  have  been  told  that  seeds 
may  remain  hundreds  of  years  under  ground,  and  come  up 
afterwards,  when  exposed  to  the  heat." 

"  Now  I  recollect,"  replied  William  ;  "  my  father  told 
me  that  the  wheat,  which  had  been  buried  in  an  Egyptian 
mummy  three  or  four  thousand  years  back,  had  been 
known  to  grow,  when  planted." 

"  What's  a  mummy,  Master  William  ?  I  have  heard  of 
Egypt :  it  was  the  country  where  the  Jews  were  in  bond- 
age, and  from  which  they  were  delivered.  We  read  all 
that  in  the  Bible  ;  and  how  Pharaoh  was  plagued  until  he 
permitted  them  to  depart." 

"  Yes  ;  he  was  drowned,  with  all  his  host,  because  he 
followed  them  to  bring  them  back  again.  A  mummy, 
Ready,  is  a  human  body,  embalmed  with  spices  after  it  is 
dead,  so  as  to  preserve  it.  I  never  saw  one  ;  but  I  know, 
from  what  I  have  read,  that  the  Egyptians  used  to  embalm 
the  bodies  of  the  dead.  I  am  quite  ready  to  go  on 
now." 

"  Well,  then,  the  sooner  we  get  through  the  wood  the 
better,  Master  William ;  so  let  us  put  our  best  foot  fore- 
most, as  the  saying  is." 

They  continued  their  way,  and  had  not  walked  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when  William  cried  out,  "  I  see 
the  blue  sky,  Ready ;  we  shall  soon  be  out ;  and  glad 
shall  I  be,  for  my  arm  aches  with  chopping." 

"  I  dare  say  it  does,  sir.  I  am  just  as  glad  as  you  are, 
for  I'm  tired  of  marking  the  trees  ;  however,  we  must  con- 
tinue to  mark,  or  we  shall  not  find  our  way  back  when  we 
want  it." 

In  ten  minutes  more  they  were  clear  of  the  cocoa-nut 
grove,  and  found  themselves  among  brushwood  higher 
than  their  heads ;  so  that  they  could  not  see  how  far  they 
were  from  the  shore. 

"  Well,"    said   William,    throwing    down    his    hatchet 


Masterman  Ready  217 

"  I'm  glad  that's  over ;  now  let  us  sit  down  a  little  before 
we  go  any  further." 

"  I'm  of  your  opinion,  sir,"  replied  Ready,  sitting  down 
by  the  side  of  William;  "I  feel  more  tired  to-day  than  I 
did  when  we  first  went  through  the  wood,  after  we  set 
off  from  the  cove.  I  suppose  it's  the  weather.  Come 
back,  dogs  ;  lie  down." 

"  The  weather  is  very  fine,  Ready." 

"  Yes,  now,  sir ;  but  I  meant  to  have  said  that  the 
rainy  season  is  very  trying  to  the  health,  and  I  suppose  I 
have  not  recovered  from  it  yet.  You  have  had  a  regular 
fever,  and,  of  course,  do  not  feel  strong ;  but  a  man  may 
have  no  fever,  and  yet  his  health  suffer  a  great  deal  from  it. 
I  am  an  old  man,  Master  "William,  and  feel  these  things  now." 

"  I  think  that  before  we  go  on,  Ready,  we  had  better 
have  our  dinner ;  that  will  do  us  good." 

"Well,  Master  William,  we  will  take  an  early  dinner, 
and  we  shall  get  rid  of  one  bottle  of  water,  at  all  events  ; 
indeed,  I  think  that,  as  we  must  go  back  by  the  same  way 
we  came,  we  may  as  well  leave  our  knapsacks  and 
everything  but  our  guns  under  these  trees  ;  I  dare  say  we 
shall  sleep  here  too,  for  I  told  Mr  Seagrave  positively  not 
to  expect  us  back  to-night.  I  did  not  like  to  say  so 
before  your  mother,  she  is  so  anxious  about  you."  They 
opened  their  knapsacks  and  made  their  meal,  the  two  dogs 
coming  in  for  their  full  share ;  after  which  they  again 
started  on  their  discoveries.  For  about  ten  minutes  they 
continued  to  force  their  way  through  the  thick  and  high 
bushes,  till  at  last  they  broke  out  clear  of  them,  and  then 
looked  around  them  for  a  short  time  without  speaking. 
The  sea  was  about  half  a  mile  distant,  and  the  intervening 
land  was  clear,  with  fresh  blades  of  grass  just  bursting 
out  of  the  earth,  composing  a  fine  piece  of  pasture  of  at 
least  fifty  acres,  here  and  there  broken  with  small  patches 
of  trees  and  brushwood ;  there  was  no  sandy  beach,  but 
the  rocks  rose  from  the  sea  about  twenty  to  thirty  feet 
high,  and  were  in  one  or  two  places  covered  with  some- 
thing which  looked  as  white  as  snow. 


2i 8  Masterman  Ready 

"Well,  Ready,"  said  William,  "  there  will  be  no  want 
of  pasture  for  our  flock,  even  if  it  increases  to  ten  times 
its  number." 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  Ready,  "  we  are  very  fortunate,  and 
have  great  reason  to  be  thankful ;  this  is  exactly  what  we 
required ;  and  now  let  us  go  on  a  little,  and  examine  these 
patches  of  wood,  and  see  what  they  are.  I  see  a  bright 
green  leaf  out  there,  which,  if  my  eyes  do  not  fail  me,  I 
have  seen  many  a  time  before."  When  they  arrived  at 
the  clump  of  trees  which  Ready  had  pointed  out,  he  said, 
"  Yes,  Master  William,  I  was  right.  Look  there,  this  is 
the  banana ;  it  is  just  bursting  out  now,  and  will  soon  be 
ten  feet  high,  and  bearing  fruit  which  is  excellent  eating  ; 
besides  which,  the  stem  is  capital  fodder  for  the  beasts. 
God  is  gracious." 

"  Here  is  a  plant  I  never  saw  before ;  this  little  one," 
said  Willam,  pulling  up  a  piece  of  it,  and  showing  it  to 
Ready. 

"  But  I  have,  Master  William.  It  is  what  they  call  the 
bird's-eye  pepper;  they  make  Cayenne  pepper  out  of  it. 
Look,  the  pods  are  just  formed  ;  it  will  be  useful  to  us  in 
cooking,  as  we  have  no  pepper  left.  Juno  will  be  quite 
pleased.  You  see,  Master  William,  we  must  have  some 
birds  on  the  island ;  at  least,  it  is  most  probable,  for  all 
the  seeds  of  these  plants  and  trees  must  have  been  brought 
here  by  them.  The  banana  and  the  pepper  are  the  food 
of  many  birds.  One  seed  has  dropped  and  grown  up,  and 
then  the  seeds  of  the  first  have  sowed  themselves,  and 
grown  up  every  year,  and  that  is  the  reason  they  are  all  in 
patches  here  and  there.  What  a  quantity  of  bananas  are 
springing  up  in  this  spot ;  there  will  be  a  little  forest  of 
them  in  a  few  weeks." 

"What  is  that  rough-looking  sort  of  shrub  out  there, 
Ready  ? " 

"  I  can't  see  so  well  as  you,  Master  William,  so  let  us 
walk  up  to  it.  Oh,  I  know  it  now  ;  it  is  what  they  call 
the  prickly  pear  in  the  West  Indies.  I  am  very  glad  to 
have  found  that,  for  it  will  be  very  useful  to  us." 


Masterman  Ready  219 

"  Is  it  good  eating,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Not  particularly  ;  and  the  little  spikes  run  into  your 
fingers,  and  are  very  difficult  to  get  rid  of;  but  it  is  not 
bad  by  way  of  a  change.  No,  sir  ;  the  use  it  will  be  to 
us  is  to  hedge  in  our  garden,  and  protect  it  from  the 
animals ;  it  makes  a  capital  fence,  and  grows  very  fast, 
and  without  trouble.  Why,  there's  half  an  acre  of  them ; 
they  are  just  coming  into  blossom.  Now  let  us  go  on 
to  that  patch  of  trees,  and  see  what  they  are." 

"  What  is  this  plant,  Ready  ? " 

"I  don't  know,  Master  William j  I  can't  say  that  I 
ever  saw  it  before." 

"  Then  I  think  I  had  better  make  a  collection  of  all 
those  you  don't  know,  and  take  them  back  to  my  father, 
for  he  is  a  very  good  botanist,  and  I  dare  say  will  know 
them  all." 

"We  will  do  so,  sir;  it  is  a  very  good  thought  of 
yours." 

William  pulled  a  branch  of  the  plant  off,  and  carried 
it  with  him.  On  their  arrival  at  the  next  patch  of  trees, 
Ready  looked  at  them  steadfastly  for  some  time. 

" Let  me  see,"  said  he  ;  "I  think  I  know  that  tree,  I 
have  often  seen  it  in  hot  countries.  Yes,  I  have  it, 
Master  William  ;  it's  the  guava." 

"  What !  is  it  the  fruit  they  make  guava  jelly  of  ? " 
said  William. 

"  Yes,  Master  William,  the  very  same." 

"  How  Tommy  will  smack  his  lips  when  he  hears  of 
it.  Captain  Osborn  gave  us  guava  jelly  on  our  passage 
out,  and  Tommy  was  never  satisfied,  he  always  wanted 
more." 

"  Little  boys  of  Master  Tommy's  age  do  think  more 
of  eating  than  anything  else  ;  that's  very  natural,  so  we 
must  not  be  too  hard  upon  Master  Tommy  ;  he'll  turn 
out  a  fine  fellow  yet,  depend  upon  it,  Master  William." 

"  I'm  sure  I  hope  so,  Ready,  and  I  really  think  that 
he  will.     Shall  we  go  on  now  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  which  way  would  you  like  to  go  ?  " 


220  Masterman  Ready 

"  Let  us  walk  in  the  direction  of  those  five  or  six  trees, 
and  from  there  down  to  the  rocks  ;  I  want  to  find  out 
how  it  is  that  they  are  so  white." 

Be  it  so,  sir,  if  you  wish,"  replied  Ready. 

"  Why,  Ready,  what  noise  is  that  ?  Hark !  such  a 
chattering,  it  must  be  monkeys." 

"  No,  sir,  they  are  not  monkeys  ;  but  I'll  tell  you  what 
they  are,  although  I  cannot  see  them ;  they  are  parrots — 
I  know  their  noise  well.  You  see,  Master  William,  it's 
not  very  likely  that  monkeys  should  get  here,  but  birds 
can,  and  it  is  the  birds  that  we  have  to  thank  for  the 
bananas,  and  guavas,  and  other  fruits  we  may  find  here." 

As  soon  as  they  came  under  the  trees,  there  was  a 
great  rioting  and  fluttering,  and  then  flew  away,  scream- 
ing as  loud  as  they  could,  a  flock  of  about  three  hundred 
parrots,  their  beautiful  green  and  blue  feathers  glistening 
in  the  beams  of  the  sun. 

"  I  told  you  so,  sir  ;  well,  we'll  have  some  capital  pies 
out  of  them,  Master  William." 

"  Pies  !  do  they  make  good  pies,  Ready  ?" 

"  Yes,  excellent ;  and  very  often  have  I  had  a  good 
dinner  from  one  in  the  West  Indies,  and  in  South  America. 
Stop,  sir,  let  us  come  a  little  this  way  ;  I  see  a  leaf  which 
I  should  like  to  examine." 

"  The  ground  is  very  swampy  just  here,  Ready ;  is  it 
not?" 

"  Yes ;  there's  plenty  of  water  below,  I  don't  doubt. 
So  much  the  better  for  the  animals  ;  we  must  dig  some 
pools  when  they  come  here.  Oh  !  I  thought  I  was  not 
wrong.  Look,  sir !  this  is  the  best  thing  I  have  found 
yet — we  now  need  not  care  so  much  about  potatoes." 

"  Why,  what  are  they,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Yams,  sir ;  yams,  which  they  use  instead  of  potatoes 
in  the  West  Indies.  Indeed,  potatoes  do  not  remain 
potatoes  long,  when  planted  in  the  hot  climates." 

"  How  do  you  mean,  Ready  ?  " 

"  They  turn  into  what  they  call  sweet  potatoes,  after 
one  or  two  crops ;  yams  are  better  things,  in  my  opinion." 


Masterman  Ready  221 

At  this  moment  the  dogs  dashed  among  the  broad  yam 
leaves,  and  commenced  baying  ;  there  was  a  great  rustling 
and  snorting. 

"  What's  that  ?  "  cried  William,  who  had  been  stooping 
down  to  examine  the  yam  plant,  and  who  was  startled  at 
the  noise. 

Ready  laughed  heartily.  "  It  isn't  the  first  time  that 
they've  made  you  jump,  Master  William." 

"  Why,  it's  our  pigs  ;  isn't  it  ?  "  replied  William. 

"  To  be  sure  j  they're  in  the  yam  patch,  very  busy 
feeding  on  them,  I'll  be  bound." 

Ready  gave  a  shout,  and  a  grunting  and  rushing  were 
heard  among  the  broad  leaves,  and,  very  soon,  out  rushed, 
instead  of  the  six,  about  thirty  pigs,  large  and  small ;  who, 
snorting  and  twisting  their  tails,  galloped  away  at  a  great 
rate  across  the  pasture-land,  until  they  gained  the  cocoa- 
nut  grove. 

"  How  wild  they  are,  Ready,"  said  William. 

"  Yes,  sir,  and  they'll  be  wilder  every  day :  but  we 
must  fence  these  yams  from  them,  or  we  shall  get  none 
ourselves." 

"  But  they'll  beat  down  the  fence  before  it  grows 
up. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  but  we'll  pale  it  in  with  cocoa-nut  palings, 
and  plant  the  prickly  pears  outside ;  before  the  palings  are 
rotten,  the  prickly  pears  will  make  a  hedge  which  no 
animal  can  get  through.  Now,  sir,  we'll  go  down  to  the 
sea-side." 

As  they  neared  the  rocks,  which  were  bare  for  about 
fifty  yards  from  the  water's  edge,  Ready  said,  "  I  can  tell 
you  now  what  those  white  patches  on  the  rocks  are, 
Master  William ;  they  are  the  places  where  the  sea-birds 
come  to  every  year  to  make  their  nests,  and  bring  up  their 
young.  They  always  come  to  the  same  place  every  year, 
if  they  are  not  disturbed."  They  soon  arrived  at  the 
spot,  and  found  it  white  with  the  feathers  of  birds,  mixed 
up  with  dirt. 

*'  I  see  no  nests,  Ready,  nor  the  remains  of  any." 


222  Masterman  Ready 

"No,  sir,  they  do  not  make  any  nests,  further  than 
scratching  a  round  hole,  about  half  an  inch  deep,  in  the 
soil,  and  there  they  lay  their  eggs,  sitting  quite  close  to 
one  another  ;  they  will  soon  be  here,  and  begin  to  lay, 
and  then  we  will  come,  and  take  the  eggs,  if  we  want  any, 
for  they  are  not  bad  eating." 

"Why,  Ready,  what  a  quantity  of  good  things  we 
have  found  out  already.  This  has  been  a  very  fortunate 
expedition  of  ours." 

"  Yes,  it  has ;  and  we  may  thank  God  for  his  goodness, 
who  thus  provides  for  us  so  plentifully  in  the  wilderness  ; 
and  recollect,  that  every  year,  if  we  are  industrious,  we 
shall  add  to  our  means." 

"Do  you  know,  Ready,  I  cannot  help  thinking,  that 
we  ought  to  have  built  our  house  here." 

"  Not  so,  Master  William  ;  we  have  not  the  pure  water, 
recollect,  and  we  have  not  the  advantages  of  the  sandy 
beach,  where  we  have  our  turtle  and  fish  pond.  No, 
Master  William :  we  may  feed  our  stock  here  ;  we  may 
gather  the  fruit,  taking  our  share  of  it  with  the  poor 
birds ;  we  may  get  our  yams,  and  every  other  good 
provided  for  us  ;  but  our  house  and  home  must  be  where 
it  is  now." 

"  You  are  right,  Ready ;  but  it  will  be  a  long  walk." 

"  Not  when  we  are  accustomed  to  it,  and  have  made  a 
beaten  path,  Master  William ;  besides,  we  may  bring  the 
boat  round,  perhaps.  I  wish  to  go  down  to  the  rocks  to 
see." 

They  then  walked  along  the  seaside  for  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile,  until  they  came  to  where  the  rocks  were  not  so 
high,  and  there  they  discovered  a  little  basin,  completely 
formed  in  the  rocks,  with  a  narrow  entrance. 

"  See,  Master  William,  what  a  nice  little  harbour  for 
our  boat ;  we  may  here  load  it  with  yams,  and  take  it 
round  to  the  bay,  provided  we  can  find  an  entrance  through 
the  reefs  on  the  southern  side  of  it,  which  we  have  not 
looked  for  yet,  because  we  have  not  required  it." 

"  Yes,  Ready — it  is,  indeed,  a  nice,  smooth  little  place 


Masterman  Ready  223 

for  the  boat  ;  but  how  shall  we  find  it  out  again,  when  we 
come  on  this  side  of  the  island  in  the  boat  ? " 

"Very  easily,  Master  William,  for  I'll  fix  up  a  flag-staff 
as  a  mark." 

"  What  is  that  thing  on  the  bottom,  there,  Ready  ? "  said 
William,  pointing  in  the  direction. 

"  I  see  it,  sir ;  that  is  a  sea  craw-fish,  quite  as  good 
eating  as  a  lobster.  I  wonder  if  I  could  make  a  lobster 
pot ;  we  should  catch  plenty,  and  very  good  they  are." 

"  And  what  are  those  little  rough  things  on  the  rocks  ?  " 

"They  are  a  very  nice  little  sort  of  oyster,  sir,  very 
sweet ;  not  like  those  we  have  in  England,  but  very  much 
better  indeed,  they  are  so  delicate." 

"  Why,  Ready,  we  have  two  more  good  things  for  our 
table,  again,"  replied  William ;  "  how  rich  we  shall  be." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  but  we  have  to  catch  them,  recollect :  there 
is  nothing  to  be  had  in  this  world  without  labour.  The 
world  is  full  of  all  that  is  useful  to  man  ;  but  the  Almighty 
has  declared  that  it  is  by  the  sweat  of  the  brow  that  we  are 
to  gain  our  bread." 

"  Ready,"  said  William,  "  we  have  good  three  hours' 
daylight;  suppose  we  go  back  and  tell  what  we  have 
seen  :  my  mother  will  be  so  glad  to  see  us." 

"I  agree  with  you,  Master  William.  We  have  done 
well  for  one  day  ;  and  may  safely  go  back  again,  and 
remain  for  another  week,  if  that  is  all ;  that  is,  if  we  are 
wanted.  There  are  no  fruits  at  present,  and  all  I  care 
about  are  the  yams  ;  I  should  like  to  protect  them  from  the 
pigs.  But  let  us  go  home  and  talk  the  matter  over  with 
Mr  Seagrave." 

William,  as  he  walked  away  from  the  beach  towards  the 
cocoa-nut  grove,  picked  a  sprig  of  every  plant  he  fell  in 
with,  to  take  back  to  his  father.  They  found  out  the 
spot  where  they  had  left  their  knapsacks  and  hatchets,  and 
again  took  their  path  through  the  cocoa-nut  trees,  follow- 
ing the  blaze  which  they  had  made  in  the  morning.  One 
hour  before  sunset  they  arrived  at  the  house,  where  they 
found  Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave  sitting  outside,   and  Juno 


224  Masterman  Ready 

standing  on  the  beach  with  the  two  children,  who  were 
amusing  themselves  with  picking  up  the  shells  which  were 
strewed  about.  William  gave  a  very  clear  account  of  all 
they  had  seen,  and  showed  his  father  the  specimens  of  the 
plants  which  he  had  collected. 

"  This,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  "  is  a  well-known  plant ;  and 
I  wonder  Ready  did  not  recognise  it :  it  is  hemp." 

"  I  never  saw  it,  except  in  the  shape  of  rope,"  replied 
Ready.     "  I  know  the  seed  well  enough." 

"  Well,  if  we  require  it,  I  can  tell  you  how  to  dress 
it,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave.  "  Now,  William,  what  is  the 
next  ?  " 

"This  odd-looking,  rough  thing." 

"  That's  the  egg-plant :  it  bears  a  fruit  of  a  blue  colour. 
I  am  told  they  eat  it  in  the  hot  countries."     - 

"  Yes,  sir,  they  do  ;  they  fry  it  with  pepper  and  salt : 
they  call  it  bringal.     I  think  it  must  be  that." 

"  I  do  not  doubt  but  you  are  right,"  replied  Mr  Sea- 
grave.    "  Why,  William,  you  should  know  this." 

"It  is  like  the  grape-vine." 

"  Yes,  and  it  is  so ;  it  is  the  wild  grape :  we  shall  eat 
them  by-and-bye ;  perhaps  make  wine  ;  who  knows  ?  " 

"  I  have  only  one  more,  papa  :  what  is  this  ?  " 

"  You  don't  know  it,  because  it  has  sprung  up  so  high, 
William  ;  but  it  is  the  common  mustard  plant,  what  we  use 
in  England,  and  sold  as  mustard  and  cress.  Well,  I  think 
you  have  now  made  a  famous  day's  work  of  it ;  and  we 
have  much  to  thank  God  for.  Here  comes  Juno  to  get 
supper  on  the  table ;  so  we  will  go  :  the  sun  is  just  dis- 
appearing, and  it  will  be  dark  in  a  few  minutes." 

As  soon  as  they  had  returned  to  the  house,  a  consultation 
was  held  as  to  their  future  proceedings ;  and,  after  some 
debate,  it  was  agreed  that  it  would  be  advisable  that  they 
should  take  the  boat  out  of  the  sand ;  and,  as  soon  as  it 
was  ready,  examine  the  reef  on  the  southward,  to  see  if 
they  could  find  a  passage  through  it,  as  it  would  take  a 
long  while  to  go  round  it ;  and,  as  soon  as  that  was  accom- 
plished, Mr  Seagrave,  Ready,  William,  and  Juno  should 


Masterman  Ready  225 

all  go  through  the  wood,  carrying  with  them  a  tent  to 
pitch  on  the  newly  discovered  piece  of  ground  :  and  that 
they  should  set  up  a  flag-staff  at  the  little  harbour,  to  point 
out  its  position.  Of  course,  that  would  be  a  hard  day's 
work ;  but  that  they  would,  nevertheless,  return  the  same 
night ;  and  not  leave  Mrs  Seagrave  alone  with  the  children. 
Having  accomplished  this,  Ready  and  William  would  then 
put  the  wheels  and  axle  in  the  boat,  and  other  articles 
required,  such  as  saw,  hatchets,  and  spades,  and  row  round 
to  the  south  side  of  the  island,  to  find  the  little  harbour. 
As  soon  as  they  had  landed  them,  and  secured  the  boaty 
they  would  then  return  by  the  path  through  the  wood. 

The  next  job  would  be  to  rail  in  the  yam  plantation  to 
keep  off  the  pigs,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  drive  the  sheep 
and  goats  through  the  wood,  that  they  might  feed  on  the 
new  pasture  ground ;  the  old  one  was  to  be  reserved  for 
cutting  and  making  into  hay  for  fodder.  Ready  and 
William  were  then  to  cut  down  cocoa-nut  trees  sufficient 
for  the  paling,  fix  up  the  posts,  and  when  that  was  done, 
Mr  Seagrave  was  to  come  to  them  and  assist  them  in  rail- 
ing it  in,  and  drawing  the  timber.  This  they  expected 
would  be  all  done  in  about  a  month ;  and  during  that  time, 
as  Mrs  Seagrave  and  Juno  would  be,  for  the  greatest  part 
of  it,  left  at  the  house,  they  were  to  employ  themselves  in 
clearing  the  garden  of  weeds,  and  making  preparation  for 
fencing  it  in. 

As  soon  as  this  important  work  had  been  completed,  the 
boat  would  return  to  the  bay  with  a  load  of  prickly  pears 
for  the  garden  fence,  and  then  they  were  to  direct  their 
attention  to  the  stores  which  had  been  saved  from  the 
wreck,  and  were  lying  in  the  cove  where  they  had  first 
landed.  When  they  had  examined  them,  and  brought 
round  what  were  required,  and  secured  them  in  the  store- 
house, they  would  then  have  a  regular  survey  of  the  island 
by  land  and  by  water,  and  make  a  map  of  it,  which  Mr 
Seagrave  knew  very  well  how  to  do.  Such  were  the 
arrangements  proposed  for  the  season  of  fine  weather 
which  had  now  commenced.  But  man  proposes  and  God 
R  p 


226  Masterman  Ready- 

disposes,  as  will  be  shown  by  the  interruption  to  their 
intended  projects  which  we  shall  have  to  narrate  in  the 
ensuing  chapter. 


Chapter  XLIII 

As  usual,  Ready  was  the  first  up  on  the  following 
morning,  and  having  greeted  Juno,  who  followed  him  out 
of  the  house,  he  set  off  on  his  accustomed  rounds,  to 
examine  into  the  stock  and  their  other  possessions.  He 
was  standing  in  the  garden  at  the  point.  First  he  thought 
that  it  would  be  necessary  to  get  ready  some  sticks  for  the 
peas,  which  were  now  seven  or  eight  inches  out  of  the 
ground ;  he  had  proceeded  a  little  farther,  to  where  the 
calivances,  or  French  haricot  beans,  had  been  sown,  and 
had  decided  upon  the  propriety  of  hoeing  up  the  earth 
round  them,  as  they  were  a  very  valuable  article  of  food, 
that  would  keep,  and  afford  many  a  good  dish  during  the 
rainy  or  winter  season.  He  had  gone  on  to  ascertain  if  the 
cucumber  seeds  had  shown  themselves  above  ground,  and 
was  pleased  to  find  that  they  were  doing  well.  He  said  to 
himself,  "We  have  no  vinegar,  that  I  know  of,  but  we  can 
preserve  them  in  salt  and  water,  as  they  do  in  Russia ;  it 
will  be  a  change  at  all  events ; "  and  then  he  raised  his 
eyes  and  looked  out  to  the  offing,  and,  as  usual,  scanned 
the  horizon.  He  thought  he  saw  a  ship  to  the  north-east, 
and  he  applied  his  telescope  to  his  eye.  He  was  not  mis- 
taken— it  was  a  vessel. 

The  old  man's  heart  beat  quick ;  he  dropped  his  telescope 
on  his  arm,  and  fetched  some  heavy  breaths  before  he  could 
recover  from  the  effect  of  this  unexpected  sight.  After  a 
minute,  he  again  put  his  telescope  to  his  eye,  and  then  made 
her  out  to  be  a  brig,  under  top-sails  and  top-gallant  sails, 
steering  directly  for  the  island. 

Ready  walked  to  the  rocky  point,  from  which  they  fished, 
and  sat  down  to  reflect.     Could  it  be  that  the  vessel  had 


Masterman  Ready  227 

been  sent  after  them,  or  that  she  had  by  mere  chance  come 
among  the  islands  ?  He  decided  after  a  short  time  that 
it  must  be  chance,  for  none  could  know  that  they  were 
saved,  much  less  that  they  were  on  the  island.  Her  steering 
towards  the  island  must  then  be  either  that  she  required 
water  or  something  else  ;  perhaps  she  would  alter  her 
course  and  pass  by  them.  "■  At  all  events,"  thought  the 
old  man  ;  "  we  are  in  the  hands  of  God,  who  will,  at  his 
own  time  and  in  his  own  way,  do  with  us  as  he  thinks  fit. 
I  will  not  at  present  say  anything  to  Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave. 
It  would  be  cruel  to  raise  hopes  which  might  end  in  dis- 
appointment. A  few  hours  will  decide.  And  yet  I  cannot 
do  without  help — I  must  trust  Master  William — he  is  a 
noble  boy,  that,  and  clever  beyond  his  years  ;  if  he  lives, 
he  will  turn  out  a  great,  and,  what  is  better,  a  good  man." 

Ready  rose  up  again,  examined  the  vessel  with  his 
telescope,  and  then  walked  towards  the  house.  William 
was  up,  and  the  remainder  of  the  family  were  stirring. 

"  William,"  said  Ready  to  him,  as  they  walked  away 
from  the  house,  "  I  have  a  secret  to  tell  you,  which  you 
will  at  once  see  the  necessity  of  not  telling  to  any  one  at 
present.  A  few  hours  will  decide  the  question."  William 
readily  gave  his  promise.  "  There  is  a  vessel  off  the 
island ;  she  may  be  the  means  of  rescuing  us,  or  she 
may  pass  without  seeing  us.  It  would  be  too  cruel  a 
disappointment  to  your  father  and  mother,  if  the  latter 
were  the  case." 

William  stared  at  Ready,  and  for  a  moment  could  not 
speak,  his  excitement  was  so  great. 

"  Oh  Ready,  how  grateful  I  am !  How  I  do  thank 
God !  I  trust  that  we  may  be  taken  away,  for  you  have 
no  idea  how  my  poor  father  suffers  in  silence — and  so 
does  my  mother." 

"I  know  it,  Master  William,  I  know  it,  and  it  is 
natural ;  they  do  their  best  to  control  their  yearnings, 
and  they  can  do  no  more.  But  now,  Master  William, 
we  must  be  quick,  and  at  work  before  breakfast.  But 
stop,  I  will  show  you  the  vessel." 


228  Masterman  Ready 

Ready  caught  the  vessel  in  the  field  of  the  telescope, 
which  he  leant  against  the  trunk  of  a  cocoa-nut,  and 
William  put  his  eye  to  the  glass. 

"  Do  you  see  her,  sir  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  Ready,  and  she  is  coming  this  way." 

"  Yes,  sir,  she  is  steering  right  for  the  island;  but  do 
not  talk  so  loud ;  I  will  put  the  telescope  down  here, 
and  we  will  go  about  our  work ;  there  is  an  axe  at  the 
storehouse.  Come,  Master  William ;  come  quick,  before 
your  father  leaves  the  house." 

William  and  Ready  went  to  the  storehouse  for  the 
axe.  Ready  selected  a  very  slight  cocoa-nut  tree  nearest 
to  the  beach,  which  he  cut  down,  and  as  soon  as  the 
top  was  taken  off,  with  the  assistance  of  William,  he 
carried  it  down  to  the  point. 

"Now,  Master  William,  go  for  a  shovel  and  dig  a 
hole  here,  that  we  may  fix  it  up  as  a  flag-staff.  When 
all  is  ready,  I  will  go  for  a  small  block  and  some  rope 
for  halyards  to  hoist  up  the  flags  as  soon  as  the  vessel 
is  likely  to  see  them.  When  the  hole  is  deep  enough, 
come  up  to  breakfast  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  At 
breakfast-time,  I  shall  propose  that  you  and  I  get  the 
boat  out  of  the  sand  and  examine  her,  and  give  Mr 
Seagrave  some  work  indoors." 

"  But  the  flags,  Ready ;  they  are  round  my  mother's 
bed.     How  shall  we  get  them  ? " 

"  Suppose  I  say  that  it  is  time  that  the  house  should 
be  well  cleaned,  and  that  the  canvas  hangings  of  the 
beds  should  be  taken  out  to  be  aired  this  fine  day.  Ask 
your  father  to  take  the  direction  of  the  work  while  we 
dig  out  the  boat ;  that  will  employ  them  all  inside  the 
house." 

"  Yes,  that  wiJl  do,  Ready." 

During  breakfast-time,  Ready  observed  that  he  in- 
tended to  get  the  boat  out  of  the  sand,  and  that  William 
should  assist  him. 

"  And  what  am  I  to  do,  Ready  ? "  said  Mr  Seagrave. 

"Why,    sir,    I    think,    now    that    the   rains    are   over, 


Masterman  Ready  229 

it  would  not  be  a  bad  thing  if  we  were  to  air  bedding, 
as  they  say  at  sea ;  it  is  a  fine,  warm  day,  and  if  all 
the  bedding  was  taken  out  of  the  house  and  well  shaken, 
and  then  left  out  to  air,  it  would  be  a  very  good  job 
over ;  for  you  see,  sir,  I  have  thought  more  than  once 
that  the  house  does  smell  a  little  close." 

"  It  will  be  a  very  good  thing,  Ready,"  observed 
Mrs  Seagrave ;  "  and,  at  the  same  time,  Juno  and  I 
will  give  the  house  a  thorough  cleaning  and  sweeping." 

"  Had  we  not  better  have  the  canvas  screens  down,  and 
air  them  too  ?  "  said  William. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Ready  ;  "  we  had  better  air  every- 
thing. We  will  assist  in  taking  down  the  screens  and 
flags,  and  spread  them  out  to  air,  and  then,  if  Mr  Seagrave 
has  no  objection,  we  will  leave  him  to  superintend  and 
assist  Madam  Seagrave  and  Juno." 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave.  "  We 
have  done  breakfast,  and  will  begin  as  soon  as  you 
please." 

Ready  and  William  took  down  the  canvas  screens  and 
flags,  and  went  out  of  the  cottage  with  them  ;  they  spread 
out  the  canvas  at  some  distance  from  the  house,  and  then 
William  went  down  to  the  beach  with  the  flags,  while 
Ready  procured  the  block  and  small  rope  to  hoist  them  up 
with. 

Ready's  stratagem  answered  well.  Without  being 
perceived  by  those  in  the  cottage,  the  flag-staff  was  raised, 
and  fixed  in  the  ground,  and  the  flags  all  ready  for 
hoisting  ;  then  Ready  and  William  returned  to  the  fuel- 
stack,  and  each  carried  down  as  much  stuff  as  they  could 
hold,  that  they  might  make  a  smoke  to  attract  the  notice 
of  those  on  board  of  the  vessel.  All  this  did  not  occupy 
much  more  than  an  hour,  during  which  the  brig  continued 
her  course  steadily  towards  the  island.  When  Ready  first 
saw  her  the  wind  was  light,  but  latterly  the  breeze  had 
increased  very  much,  and  at  last  the  brig  took  in  her  top- 
gallant sails.  The  horizon  behind  the  vessel,  which  had 
been  quite  clear,  was  now  banked  up  with  clouds,  and  the 


230  Masterman  Ready- 

waves    curled    in   white   foam   over    the    reefs   of  rocks 
extending  from  the  island. 

"  The  breeze  is  getting  up  strong,  Master  William," 
said  Ready,  "  and  she  will  soon  be  down,  if  she  is  not 
frightened  at  the  reefs,  which  she  can  see  plainer  now  the 
water  is  rough,  than  she  could  before." 

"  I  trust  she  will  not  be  afraid,"  replied  William. 
"  How  far  do  you  think  she  is  off  now  ? " 

"  About  five  miles,  Master  William  ;  not  more.  The 
wind  has  hauled  round  more  to  the  southward,  and  it  is 
banking  up  fast,  I  see.  I  fear  that  we  shall  have  another 
smart  gale ;  however,  it  won't  last  long  Come,  Master 
"William,  let  us  hoist  the  flags ;  we  must  not  lose  a  chance  ; 
the  flags  will  blow  nice  and  clear  for  them  to  see  them." 

William  and  Ready  hoisted  up  the  ensign  first,  and 
below  it  the  flag,  with  the  ship's  name,  "  Pacific?  in  large 
letters  upon  it.  "  Now,  then,"  said  Ready,  as  he  made 
fast  the  halyards,  "  let  us  strike  a  light  and  make  a  smoke ;, 
that  will  attract  their  notice." 

"  As  soon  as  the  cocoa-nut  leaves  were  lighted,  Ready 
and  William  threw  water  upon  them,  so  as  to  damp  them 
and  procure  a  heavy  column  of  smoke.  The  vessel 
approached  rapidly,  and  they  were  watching  her  in  silent 
suspense,  when  they  perceived  Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave, 
Juno  carrying  Albert,  with  Tommy  and  Caroline  running 
down  as  fast  as  they  could  to  the  beach.  The  fact  was,, 
that  Tommy,  tired  of  work,  had  gone  out  of  the  house 
and  walked  towards  the  beach ;  there  he  perceived,  first, 
the  flags  hoisted,  and  then  he  detected  the  vessel  off  the 
island.  He  immediately  ran  back  to  the  house,  crying  out,, 
"Papa  !  Mamma  !  Captain  Osborn  come  back — come  back 
in  a  big  ship."  At  this  announcement,  Mr  and  Mrs 
Seagrave  ran  out  of  the  house,  perceived  the  vessel  and 
the  flags  flying,  and,  as  we  have  stated,  ran  as  fast  as  they 
could  down  to  where  William  and  Ready  were  standing 
by  the  flag-staff. 

"Oh!   Ready,  why  did  you  not  tell  us  this  before?" 
exclaimed  Mr  Seagrave,  out  of  breath. 


-  1>A\\wm\\  Sw*, 


Masterman  Ready  231 

"  I  wish  you  had  not  known  it  now,  sir,"  replied 
Ready ;  "  but,  however,  it  can't  be  helped  ;  it  was  done 
out  of  kindness,  Mr  Seagrave." 

"  Yes,  indeed  it  was,  papa." 

Mrs  Seagrave  dropped  down  on  the  rock,  and  burst 
into  tears.     Mr  Seagrave  was  equally  excited. 

"Does  she  see  us,  Ready  ?"  exclaimed  he  at  last. 

"No,  sir,  not  yet,  and  I  waited  till  she  did,  before  I 
made  it  known  to  you,"  replied  Ready. 

"  She  is  altering  her  course,  Ready,"  said  "William. 

"  Yes,  sir,  she  has  hauled  to  the  wind ;  she  is  afraid  of 
coming  too  near  to  the  reefs." 

"  Surely  she  is  not  leaving  us,"  exclaimed  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  No,  madam ;  but  she  does  not  see  us  yet." 

"  She  does  !  she  does  !  "  cried  William,  throwing  up  his 
hat ;   "  see,  she  hoists  her  ensign." 

"Very  true,  sir;  she  does  see  us.  Thanks  be  to 
God." 

Mr  Seagrave  embraced  his  wife,  who  threw  herself 
sobbing  into  his  arms,  kissed  his  children  with  rapture, 
and  wrung  old  Ready's  hand.  He  was  almost  frantic  with 
joy.  William  was  equally  delighted.  Juno  grinned  and 
laughed,  while  the  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks,  and  Tommy 
took  little  Caroline  by  her  two  hands  and  they  danced 
round  and  round  together. 

As  soon  as  they  were  a  little  more  composed,  Ready 
observed :  "  Mr  Seagrave,  that  they  have  seen  us  is 
certain,  and  what  we  must  now  do  is  to  get  our  own  boat 
out  of  the  sand.  We  know  the  passage  through  the  reefs, 
and  they  do  not.  I  doubt  if  they  will,  however,  venture 
to  send  a  boat  on  shore,  until  the  wind  moderates  a  little. 
You  see,  sir,  it  is  blowing  up  very  strong  just  now." 

"  But  you  don't  think  it  will  blow  harder,  Ready  ? " 

"I  am  sorry  to  say,  sir,  that  I  do.  It  looks  very 
threatening  to  the  southward,  and  until  the  gale  is  over, 
they  will  not  venture  near  an  island  so  surrounded  with 
rocks.  It  would  be  very  imprudent  if  they  did.  However, 
sir,  a  few  hours  will  decide." 


232  Masterman  Ready 

"  But,  surely,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  "  even  if  it  does 
blow,  they  will  not  leave  the  island  without  taking  us  off. 
They  will  come  after  the  gale  is  over." 

"Yes,  madam,  if  they  can,  I  do  think  they  will  5  but 
God  knows,  some  men  have  hard  hearts,  and  feel  little  for 
the  misery  of  others." 

The  brig  had,  in  the  meantime,  kept  away  again,  as  if 
she  was  running  in  ;  but  very  soon  afterwards  she  hauled 
to  the  wind,  with  her  head  to  the  northward,  and  stood 
away  from  the  island. 

"  She  is  leaving  us,"  exclaimed  William,  mournfully. 

"  Hard-hearted  wretches  !  "  said  Mr  Seagrave,  with 
indignation. 

"  You  are  wrong  to  say  that,  sir,"  replied  Ready  ; 
"  excuse  me,  Mr  Seagrave,  for  being  so  bold  ;  but  the 
fact  is,  that  if  I  was  in  command  of  that  vessel,  I  should 
do  just  as  they  have  done.  The  gale  rises  fast,  and  it 
would  be  very  dangerous  for  them  to  remain  where  they 
now  are.  It  does  not  at  all  prove  that  they  intend  to  leave 
us ;  they  but  consult  their  own  safety,  and,  when  the  gale 
is  over,  we  shall,  I  trust,  see  them  again." 

No  reply  was  made  to  Ready's  judicious  remarks.  The 
Seagraves  only  saw  that  the  vessel  was  leaving  them,  and 
their  hearts  sank.  They  watched  her  in  silence,  and  as 
she  gradually  diminished  to  the  view,  so  did  their  hopes 
depart  from  them.  The  wind  was  now  fierce,  and  a  heavy 
squall,  with  rain,  obscured  the  offing,  and  the  vessel  was 
no  longer  to  be  distinguished.  Mr  Seagrave  turned  to  his 
wife,  and  mournfully  offered  her  his  arm.  They  walked 
away  from  the  beach  without  speaking ;  the  remainder  of 
the  party,  with  the  exception  of  old  Ready,  followed  them. 
How  different  was  their  return  to  the  house  from  the 
joyous  descent  to  the  beach.  Ready  remained  some  time 
with  his  eyes  in  the  direction  where  the  vessel  was  last 
seen.  He  was  melancholy,  for  he  had  a  foreboding  that  it 
would  be  seen  no  more.  At  last  he  hauled  down  the 
ensign  and  flag,  and,  throwing  them  over  his  shoulder, 
followed  the  disconsolate  party  to  the  house. 


Masterman  Ready  233 


Chapter  XLIV 

When  Ready  arrived,  he  found  them  all  plunged  in  such 
deep  distress,  that  he  did  not  consider  it  advisable  to  say 
anything.  The  evening  closed  in ;  it  was  time  to  retire. 
The  children  had  already  been  put  to  bed ;  but  Mr 
Seagrave  remained  without  speaking,  holding  his  wife  by 
her  hand.  Mrs  Seagrave's  head  was  rested  upon  her 
husband's  shoulder,  and  an  occasional  low  sob  was  to  be 
heard.  The  countenance  of  Mr  Seagrave  was  not  only 
gloomy,  but  morose.  The  hour  for  retiring  to  rest  had 
long  passed  when  Ready  broke  the  silence  by  saying, 
"  Surely,  you  do  not  intend  to  sit  up  all  night,  Mr 
Seagrave  ? " 

"  Oh  !  no ;  there's  no  use  sitting  up,  now,"  replied  Mr 
Seagrave,  rising  up  impatiently.  "  Come,  my  dear,  let's 
go  to  bed." 

Mrs  Seagrave  rose,  and  retired  behind  the  canvas 
screen.  Her  husband  seemed  as  if  he  was  about  to 
follow  her,  when  Ready,  without  speaking,  laid  the  Bible 
on  the  table  before  him.  Mr  Seagrave  did  not  appear 
to  notice  it ;  but  William  touched  his  father's  arm, 
pointed  to  the  book,  and  then  went  inside  of  the 
screen,  and  led  out  his  mother. 

"  God  forgive  me  !  "  exclaimed  Mr  Seagrave.  "  In 
my  selfishness  and  discontent  I  had  forgotten  " — 

"  Yes,  sir,  you  had  forgotten  those  words,  '  Come 
unto  me  all  ye  who  are  weary  and  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest.'  Those  words  are  true,  sir  ;  I  have 
felt  them  to  be  so." 

"lam  ashamed  of  myself,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  bursting 
into  tears. 

Mr  Seagrave  opened  the  Bible,  and  read  the  psalm. 
As  soon  as  he  had  closed  the  book,  "  good-night "  were 
all  the  words  that  passed,  and  they  all  retired  to 
rest. 


234  Masterman  Ready 

During  the  night,  the  wind  howled  and  the  rain 
beat  down.  The  children  slept  soundly,  but  Mr  and  Mrs 
Seagrave,  Ready,  and  "William  were  awake  during  the 
whole  of  the  night,  listening  to  the  storm,  and  occupied 
with  their  own  thoughts.  It  was  the  most  unhappy  night 
that  had  been  passed  since  they  first  landed. 

Ready  was  dressed  before  daylight,  and  out  on  the 
beach  before  the  sun  had  risen.  The  gale  was  at  its 
height ;  and,  after  a  careful  survey  with  his  telescope,  he 
could  see  nothing  of  the  vessel.  He  remained  on  the 
beach  till  breakfast-time,  when  he  was  summoned  by 
William,  and  returned  to  the  house.  He  found  Mr  and 
Mrs  Seagrave  up,  and  more  composed  than  they  were  the 
evening  before  ;  and  they  welcomed  him  warmly. 

"  I  fear,  Ready,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  "  that  you  have  no 
good  news  for  us." 

"  No,  sir  ;  nor  can  you  expect  any  good  news  until 
after  the  gale  is  over." 

"  Tell  me,  Ready,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  "  do  you  really 
think  that  the  vessel  will  come  back  for  us  ? " 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  our  chances  are,  madam,  and  I 
can  do  no  more.  The  vessel  could  not  remain  here  during 
the  gale — that  is  certain  ;  and  there  is  no  saying  what  the 
effects  of  the  gale  may  be.  She  may  lie  to,  and  not  be  far 
from  us  when  the  gale  is  over  ;  or  she  may  be  obliged 
to  scud  before  the  gale,  and  run  some  hundred  miles  from 
us.  Then,  madam,  comes  the  next  chance.  I  think,  by 
her  running  for  the  island,  that  she  was  short  of  water  ; 
the  question  is,  then,  whether  she  may  not  find  it  necessary 
to  run  for  the  port  she  is  bound  to,  or  water  at  some  other 
place.  You  know,  madam,  that  a  captain  of  a  vessel  is 
bound  to  do  his  best  for  the  owners.  At  the  same  time, 
I  do  think,  that  if  she  can  with  propriety  come  back  for 
us,  she  will.  The  question  is,  first,  whether  she  can  ; 
and,  secondly,  whether  the  captain  is  a  humane  man,  and 
will  do  so  at  his  own  inconvenience." 

"  There  is  but  poor  comfort  in  all  that,  Ready,"  replied 
Mr  Seagrave. 


Masterman  Ready  235 

"It  is  useless  holding  out  false  hopes,  sir,"  replied 
Ready  ;  "  but  even  if  the  vessel  continues  her  voyage, 
I  consider  we  have  much  to  be  thankful  for." 

"  In  what,  Ready  ?  " 

"  "Why,  sir,  no  one  knew  whether  we  were  in  existence 
or  not,  and  probably  we  never  should  have  been  searched 
for  ;  but  now  we  have  made  it  known,  and  by  the  ship's 
name  on  the  flag  they  know  who  we  are,  and,  if  they 
arrive  safe  in  port,  will  not  fail  to  communicate  the  intelli- 
gence to  your  friends.  Is  not  that  a  great  deal  to  be 
thankful  for  ?  "We  may  not  be  taken  off  by  this  vessel, 
but  we  have  every  hope  that  another  will  be  sent  out 
for  us." 

"  Very  true,  Ready  ;  I  ought  to  have  seen  that  before  j 
but  my  despair  and  disappointment  were  yesterday  so  great, 
that  it  almost  took  away  my  reason.  "We  must  trust  in 
God." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,  sir,"  replied  Ready ; 
"  I  thought  you  would  soon  return  to  your  usual  frame  of 
mind.  I  felt  for  you,  I  assure  you  ;  and  indeed  I  feel  for 
you  now.  I  know  how  dreadful  this  state  of  suspense 
must  be." 

"Let  us  say  no  more  about  it,  Ready;  we  are  but 
imperfect  creatures  ;  and  God  is  merciful  when  we  repent 
of  our  folly  and  our  wickedness." 

The  gale  continued  during  the  day,  and  showed  no 
symptoms  of  abatement,  when  they  again  retired  for  the 
night.  The  following  day  Ready  was  up  early,  as  usual, 
and  "William  accompanied  him  to  the  beach. 

"  I  don't  think  that  it  blows  so  hard  as  it  did,  Ready." 

"  No,  Master  "William,  it  does  not ;  the  gale  is  break- 
ing, and  by  night,  I  have  no  doubt,  will  be  over.  It  is, 
however,  useless  looking  for  the  vessel,  as  she  must  be 
a  long  way  from  this.  It  would  take  her  a  week,  perhaps, 
to  come  back  to  us  if  she  was  to  try  to  do  so,  unless 
the  wind  should  change  to  the  northward  or  west- 
ward." 

"  Ready  !  Ready  !  "  exclaimed  "William,  pointing  to  the 


236  Masterman  Ready- 

south-east  part  of  the  reef;  "  what  is  that  ?     Look  !  it's  a 
boat." 

Ready  put  his  telescope  to  his  eye.  "  It's  a  canoe, 
Master  William,  and  there  are  people  in  it." 

"  Why,  where  can  they  have  come  from,  Ready  ?  See  ! 
they  are  among  the  breakers  ;  they  will  be  lost.  Let  us 
go  towards  them,  Ready." 

They  hastened  along  the  beach  to  the  spot  nearest  to 
where  the  canoe  was  tossing  on  the  surf,  and  watched  it 
as  it  approached  the  shore. 

"  Master  William,  this  canoe  must  have  been  blown 
off  from  the  large  island,  which  lies  out  there,"  and  Ready 
again  looked  through  his  telescope  :  "  there  are  two  people 
in  it,  and  they  are  islanders.  Poor  things  !  they  struggle 
hard  for  their  lives,  and  seem  much  exhausted  ;  but  they 
have  passed  through  the  most  dangerous  part  of  the 
reef." 

"  Yes,"  replied  William,  "  they  will  soon  be  in 
smoother  water  5  but  the  surf  on  the  beach  is  very 
heavy." 

"  They  won't  mind  that,  if  their  strength  don't  fail 
them — they  manage  the  canoe  beautifully." 

During  this  conversation  the  canoe  had  rapidly  come 
towards  the  land.  In  a  moment  or  two  afterwards,  it 
passed  through  the  surf  and  grounded  on  the  beach.  The 
two  people  in  it  had  just  strength  enough  left  to  paddle 
through  the  surf,  and  then  they  dropped  down  in  the 
bottom  of  the  canoe,  quite  exhausted. 

"  Let's  drag  the  canoe  higher  up,  Master  William. 
Poor  creatures  !   they  are  nearly  dead." 

While  dragging  it  up,  Ready  observed  that  the  occupants 
were  both  women :  their  faces  were  tatooed  all  over, 
which  disfigured  them  very  much  ;  otherwise  they  were 
young,  and  might  have  been  good-looking. 

"  Shall  I  run  up  and  get  something  for  them,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Do,  Master  William  ;  ask  Juno  to  give  you  some 
of  whatever  there  is  for  breakfast  ;  anything  warm." 

William  soon  returned  with  some  thin  oatmeal  porridge, 


Masterman  Ready  237 

which  Juno  had  been  preparing  for  breakfast  ;  and  a  few 
spoonfuls  being  forced  down  the  throats  of  the  two 
natives,  they  gradually  revived.  William  then  left  Ready, 
and  went  up  to  acquaint  his  father  and  mother  with  this 
unexpected  event. 

William  soon  returned  with  Mr  Seagrave,  and  as  the 
women  were  now  able  to  sit  up,  they  hauled  up  the 
canoe  as  far  as  they  could,  to  prevent  her  being  beat  to 
pieces.  They  found  nothing  in  the  canoe,  except  a  piece 
of  matting  and  the  two  paddles  which  had  been  used  by 
the  natives.  The  latter  were  very  curiously  carved,  as 
well  as  the  bow  of  the  canoe. 

"  You  see,  sir,"  said  Ready,  "it  is  very  clear  that 
these  two  poor  women,  having  been  left  in  charge  of  the 
canoe,  have  been  blown  off  from  the  shore  of  one  of  the 
islands  to  the  south-east ;  they  must  have  been  contending 
with  the  gale  ever  since  the  day  before  yesterday,  and, 
as  it  appears,  without  food  or  water.  It's  a  mercy  that 
they  gained  this  island." 

"It  is  so,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave;  "but  to  tell  the 
truth,  I  am  not  over  pleased  at  their  arrival.  It  proves 
what  we  were  not  sure  of  before,  that  we  have  very 
near  neighbours,  who  may  probably  pay  us  a  very  un- 
welcome visit." 

"  That  may  be,  sir,"  replied  Ready ;  "  still  these  two 
poor  creatures  being  thrown  on  shore  here  does  not  make 
the  matter  worse,  or  the  danger  greater.  Perhaps  it  may 
turn  to  our  advantage ;  for  if  these  women  learn  to  speak 
English  before  any  other  islanders  visit  us,  they  will 
interpret  for  us,  and  be  the  means,  perhaps,  of  saving 
our  lives." 

"  Would  their  visit  be  so  dangerous,  then,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Why,  sir,  a  savage  is  a  savage,  and,  like  a  child, 
wishes  to  obtain  whatever  he  sees  ;  especially  he  covets 
what  he  may  turn  to  use,  such  as  iron,  &c.  If  they  came, 
and  we  concealed  a  portion,  and  gave  up  the  remainder 
of  our  goods,  we  might  escape  ;  but  still  there  is  no 
trusting   to   them,  and  I  would  infinitely  prefer    defend- 


238  Masterman  Ready 

ing  ourselves  against  numbers  to  trusting  to  their 
mercy." 

"  But  how  can  we  defend  ourselves  against  a  multi- 
tude ? " 

"We  must  be  prepared,  sir  :  if  we  can  fortify  ourselves, 
with  our  muskets  we  would  be  more  than  a  match  for 
hundreds." 

Mr  Seagrave  turned  away.  After  a  pause  he  said, 
"  It  is  not  very  pleasant  to  be  now  talking  of  defending 
ourselves  against  savages,  when  we  hoped  two  days  ago 
to  be  leaving  the  island.  Oh,  that  that  brig  would  make 
its  appearance  again  !  " 

"  The  wind  is  going  down  fast,  sir,"  observed  Ready  ; 
"  it  will  be  fine  weather  before  the  evening.  We  may 
look  out  for  her  ;  at  all  events,  for  the  next  week  I  shall 
not  give  up  all  hopes." 

"  A  whole  week,  Ready.  Alas  !  how  true  it  is,  that 
hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick." 

"It  is  a  severe  trial,  Mr  Seagrave  j  but  we  must 
submit  when  we  are  chastened.  We  had  better  get  these 
poor  creatures  up  to  the  house,  and  let  them  recover 
themselves." 

"  Yes,  Ready ;  I  presume  they  will  understand  signs." 

Ready  then  beckoned  to  them  to  get  on  their  feet, 
which  they  both  did,  although  with  some  difficulty.  He 
then  went  in  advance,  making  a  sign  for  them  to  follow  ; 
they  understood  him,  and  made  the  attempt,  but  were 
so  weak,  that  they  would  have  fallen  if  they  had  not  been 
supported  by  Mr  Seagrave  and  William. 

It  required  a  long  time  for  them  to  arrive  at  the  house. 
Mrs  Seagrave,  who  knew  what  had  happened,  received 
them  very  kindly,  and  Juno  had  a  mess  ready,  which  she 
put  before  them.  They  ate  a  little  and  then  lay  down, 
and  were  soon  sound  asleep. 

"It  is  fortunate  for  us  that  they  are  women,"  observed 
Mr  Seagrave :  "we  should  have  had  great  difficulty  had 
they  been  men." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Ready  j    "  but    still   we  must  not 


Masterman  Ready  239 

trust  women  too  much  at  first,  for  they  are  savages.  If 
it  is  the  will  of  God  that  we  still  remain  on  this  island, 
they  may  be  very  useful  to  us  in  many  ways — indeed,  I 
may  say,  be  very  valuable  to  us,  as  we  have  plenty  of 
employment  for  them." 

"  Where  shall  we  put  them  to-night,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Why,  sir,  I  have  been  thinking  about  that.  I  wish  we 
had  a  shed  close  to  us ;  but  as  we  have  not,  we  must  let 
them  sleep  in  the  storehouse." 

"  Yes,  that  will  do  very  well." 

We  must  now  pass  over  a  space  of  fifteen  days,  in  which 
there  was  nothing  done.  The  expectation  of  the  vessel 
returning  was  still  alive,  although  each  day  decreased  these 
hopes.  Every  morning  Ready  and  William  were  at  the 
beach  with  the  telescope,  and  the  whole  of  the  day  was 
passed  in  surmises,  hopes,  and  fears.  In  fact,  the  appear- 
ance of  the  vessel  and  the  expectation  of  leaving  the 
island  had  completely  overturned  all  the  regularity  and 
content  of  our  island  party.  No  other  subject  was 
broached — not  any  of  the  work  proposed  was  begun,  as 
it  was  useless  to  do  anything  if  they  were  to  leave  the 
island.  After  the  first  week  had  passed,  they  felt  that 
every  day  their  chances  were  more  adverse,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  fortnight  all  hopes  were  very  unwillingly 
abandoned.  They  had  had  time  to  school  themselves 
into  resignation,  and  now  once  more  turned  their  thoughts 
to  their  own  immediate  pursuits. 

The  Indian  women  had,  in  the  meantime,  recovered 
their  fatigues,  and  appeared  to  be  very  mild  and  tractable. 
Whatever  they  were  able  to  do,  they  did  cheerfully, 
and  had  already  gained  a  few  words  of  English.  The 
party  to  explore  was  again  talked  over,  and  arranged 
for  the  following  Monday,  when  a  new  misfortune  fell  on 
them,  which  disconcerted  all  their  arrangements. 

On  the  Saturday  morning,  when  Ready,  as  usual,  went 
his  rounds,  as  he  walked  along  the  beach,  he  perceived 
that  the  Indian  canoe  was  missing.  It  had  been  hauled 
up  clear  of  the  water,  so   that  it  could  not  have  floated 


240  Masterman  Ready 

away.  Ready's  heart  misgave  him ;  he  looked  through 
his  telescope  in  the  direction  of  the  large  island,  and 
thought  he  could  distinguish  a  speck  on  the  water  at  a 
great  distance.  As  he  was  thus  occupied,  William  came 
down  to  him. 

"Master  William,"  said  Ready,  "I  fear  those  island 
women  have  escaped  in  their  canoe.  Run  up,  and  see  if 
they  are  in  the  outhouse,  or  anywhere  else,  and  let  me 
know  as  soon  as  you  can." 

William  in  a  few  minutes  returned,  breathless,  stating 
that  the  women  were  not  to  be  found,  and  that  they  had 
evidently  carried  away  with  them  a  quantity  of  the  large 
nails  and  other  pieces  of  iron,  which  were  in  the  small 
kegs  in  the  storehouse. 

"  This  is  bad,  Master  William — very  bad  indeed  ;  this 
is  worse  than  the  vessel  not  coming  back." 

"  Why,  we  can  do  without  them,  Ready." 

"Yes,  sir;  but  when  they  get  back  to  their  own 
people,  and  show  them  the  iron  they  have  brought  with 
them,  and  describe  how  much  more  there  is  to  be  had, 
depend  upon  it,  we  shall  have  a  visit  from  them  in 
numbers,  that  they  may  obtain  more.  I  ought  to  have 
known  better  than  to  have  left  the  canoe  here  ;  it  should 
have  been  burnt.  We  must  go  and  consult  with  Mr 
Seagrave,  for  the  sooner  we  begin  to  work  now,  the 
better.  Come,  Master  William  ;  but  recollect,  we  must 
make  light  of  this  to  your  mamma." 

They  communicated  the  intelligence  to  Mr  Seagrave 
when  they  were  outside.  He  at  once  perceived  their 
danger ;  but  considered  it  better  to  acquaint  Mrs  Seagrave 
with  it,  and  to  conceal  nothing. 

This  was  done  accordingly ;  and  then  they  held  a 
council,  and  came  to  the  following  resolutions : — 

That  it  would  be  necessary  that  they  should  immedi- 
ately stockade  the  storehouse,  so  as  to  render  it  impossible 
for  any  one  to  get  in  ;  and  that,  as  soon  as  the  fortification 
was  complete,  the  storehouse  should  be  turned  into  their 
dwelling-house  \   and    such   stores    as   could    not   be  put 


Masterman  Ready  241 

within  the  stockade  should  be  removed  to  their  present 
house,  or  concealed  in  the  cocoa-nut  grove.  That  after 
they  had  thus  arranged  for  their  security  against  any 
sudden  attack,  they  would  follow  up  their  former  plans. 

It  was  decided  that  nothing  should  be  begun  on  that  day, 
Saturday ;  that  Sunday  should  be  spent  in  devout  prayer 
for  help  and  encouragement  from  the  Almighty,  who  would 
do  towards  them  as  his  wisdom  should  ordain ;  and  that, 
on  Monday,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  they  would  recom- 
mence their  labour. 

"  I  don't  know  why,  but  I  feel  more  courage  now  that 
there  is  a  prospect  of  danger,  than  I  felt  when  there  was 
little  or  none,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  I  do  not  doubt  it,  madam  ;  and  should  it  be  called  into 
request,  that  you  will  prove  it ;  which  I  hope  may  not  be 
the  case." 

"  How  little  do  we  know  what  the  day  may  bring  forth," 
exclaimed  Mr  Seagrave.  "How  joyful  were  our  anticipa- 
tions when  the  vessel  hoisted  her  colours ;  we  felt  sure 
that  we  were  to  be  taken  off  the  island.  The  same  gale 
that  drove  the  vessel  away  brought  down  to  us  the  island 
women.  The  fair  weather  after  the  gale,  which  we  hoped 
would  have  brought  back  the  vessel  to  our  succour,  on  the 
contrary,  enabled  the  women  to  escape  in  the  canoe,  and 
make  known  our  existence  to  those  who  may  come  to 
destroy  us.  How  true  it  is  that  man  plans  in  vain :  how 
true  that  he  is  as  naught ;  and  that  it  is  only  by  the 
Almighty  will  and  pleasure  that  he  can  obtain  his  ends. 
All  that  we  can  say  is,  '  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it 
is  in  heaven.' " 

I  again  bid  farewell  to  my  young  readers  :  I  hope  it  will 
be  but  for  a  short  time.  The  next  volume  will  wind  up 
the  narrative ;  and  will  tell  them  what  became  of  Master- 
man  Ready,  Mr  Seagrave,  and  his  family. 


242  Masterman  Ready 


Chapter  XLV 

When  we  closed  our  last  volume,  the  family  on  the  island 
were  in  a  very  uncomfortable  state  of  mind ;  they  had 
suffered  much  by  disappointment  from  the  vessel  having 
been  driven  off  the  island  by  the  gale  of  wind,  at  a  time 
when  they  felt  certain  that  they  would  be  taken  on  board ; 
and,  moreover,  the  escape  of  the  two  native  women  in  the 
canoe,  with  the  iron  nails,  and  other  articles,  so  coveted 
by  savages,  had  filled  them  with  apprehensions  lest  the 
savages  should  visit  the  island  in  great  numbers  with  the 
hope  of  obtaining  more.  They  were  consequently  in  so 
sad  a  state  of  suspense,  that  for  three  weeks  after  the 
vessel  had  been  driven  away,  notwithstanding  their  con- 
sultations and  resolutions,  they  still  remained  quite  inactive : 
at  times,  indulging  the  hope  that  the  vessel  might  return ; 
at  others,  looking  anxiously  in  the  direction  of  the  larger 
island,  to  ascertain  if  there  was  not  a  fleet  of  canoes  coming 
down  for  their  destruction. 

One  morning,  at  sunrise,  as  they  were  looking  round 
with  the  telescope,  close  to  the  turtle  pond,  Masterman 
Ready  said  to  Mr  Seagrave,  "Indeed,  sir,  we  must  no 
longer  remain  in  this  state  of  idleness  ;  I  have  been 
thinking  a  great  deal  of  our  present  position  and  prospects  j 
as  to  the  vessel  coming  back,  we  must,  at  present,  give  up 
all  hopes  of  it.  I  only  wish  that  we  were  quite  as  sure 
that  we  shall  not  have  a  visit  from  the  savages :  that  is  my 
great  fear,  and  it  really  haunts  me ;  the  idea  of  our  being 
surprised  some  night,  and  Mrs  Seagrave  and  the  dear 
children,  perhaps,  murdered  in  their  beds,  is  awful  to 
reflect  upon." 

"  God  help  us  ! "  exclaimed  Mr  Seagrave,  covering  up 
his  face. 

"  God  will  help  us,  Mr  Seagrave,  but  at  the  same  time 
it  is  necessary  that  we  should  help  ourselves ;  he  will  give 
his  blessing  to  our  exertions,  but  we  cannot  expect  that 


Masterman  Ready  243 

miracles  will  be  performed  for  us  j  and  if  we  remain  as  we 
now  are,  inactive,  and  taking  no  steps  to  meet  the  danger 
which  threatens  us,  we  cannot  expect  the  divine  assistance. 
We  have  had  a  heavy  shock,  but  it  is  now  time  that  we 
recover  from  it,  and  put  our  own  shoulders  to  the  wheel." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  Ready,"  replied  William  ;  "  indeed, 
I  have  been  thinking  the  same  thing  for  many  days  past." 

"We  have  all  been  thinking  of  it,  I  believe,"  said  Mr 
Seagrave;  "I'm  sure  I've  lain  awake  night  after  night, 
considering  our  position  and  what  we  ought  to  do,  but 
I  have  never  been  able  to  come  to  any  satisfactory 
resolution." 

"  No  more  have  I  till  last  night,  Mr  Seagrave,  but  I 
think  that  I  have  now  something  to  propose  which,  perhaps, 
will  meet  with  your  approval,"  replied  Ready  ;  "  so  now, 
sir,  suppose  we  hold  another  council,  and  come  to  a 
decision." 

"  I  am  most  willing,  Ready,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  sitting 
down  upon  a  rock ;  "  and  as  you  are  the  oldest,  and 
moreover  the  best  adviser  of  the  three,  we  will  first  hear 
what  you  have  to  propose." 

"Well,  then,  Mr  Seagrave,  it  appears  to  me  that  it  will 
not  do  to  remain  in  the  house,  for  we  may,  as  I  have  said, 
be  surprised  by  the  savages  at  any  hour  in  the  night,  and 
we  have  no  means  of  defence  against  numbers." 

"  I- feel  that,  and  have  felt  it  for  some  time,"  replied  Mr 
Seagrave.  "  What  shall  we  do,  then  ;  shall  we  return  to 
the  cove  ? " 

"  I  should  think  not,  sir,"  said  Ready  j  "  what  I 
propose  is  this  :  we  have  made  a  discovery  on  the  south  of 
the  island,  which  is  of  great  importance  to  us  ;  not  that  I 
consider  the  fruit  and  other  plants  of  any  great  value,  as 
they  will  only  serve  to  increase  our  luxuries,  if  I  may  so 
call  them,  during  the  summer  season.  One  great  advantage 
to  us,  is  the  feed  which  we  have  found  for  our  live  stock, 
and  the  fodder  for  them  during  the  rainy  season ;  but 
principally,  the  patch  of  yams,  which  will  afford  us  food 
during  the  winter.     They  are  of  great  importance  to  us, 


244  Masterman  Ready 

and  we  cannot  too  soon  protect  them  from  the  pigs,  which 
will  certainly  root  them  all  up,  if  we  do  not  prevent  them. 
Now,  sir,  you  know  what  we  had  arranged  to  do,  but 
which  we  have  not  done  ;  I  think  the  cocoa-nut  rails  will 
take  too  much  time,  and  it  will  be  sufficient  to  make  a 
ditch  and  hedge  round  the  yams,  sir  ;  but  it  will  be  very 
tedious  if  we  are  to  go  backwards  and  forwards  to  do  the 
work,  and  Mrs  Seagrave  and  the  children  will  be  left  alone. 
I  therefore  propose  that,  as  the  weather  is  now  set  in  fair, 
and  will  remain  so  for  months,  that  we  pitch  our  tents  on 
that  part  of  the  island,  and  remove  the  whole  family  there ; 
we  shall  soon  be  very  comfortable,  and  at  all  events  much 
safer  there  than  if  we  remain  here,  without  any  defence." 

"It  is  an  excellent  plan,  Ready  ;  we  shall,  as  you  say, 
be  removed  from  danger  for  the  time,  and  when  there,  we 
may  consider  what  we  had  best  do,  by-and-bye." 

"  Yes,  sir.  Those  women  may  not  have  gained  the 
other  island,  it  is  true,  for  they  had  the  wind  right  against 
them  for  several  days  after  they  went  away  in  the  canoe, 
and,  moreover,  the  current  sets  strong  this  way  ;  Lat  if 
they  have,  we  must  expect  that  the  savages  will  pay  us  a 
visit ;  they  will,  of  course,  come  direct  to  the  house,  if 
they  do  come." 

"  But,  Ready,  you  don't  mean  to  say  that  we  are  to 
leave  this  side  of  the  island  altogether,  and  all  our  comfort- 
able arrangements  ?  "  said  William. 

"  No,  Master  William,  not  altogether  ;  for  now  I  come 
to  the  second  part  of  my  proposition.  As  soon  as  we  have 
done  our  work  at  the  yam  plantation,  and  made  everything 
as  comfortable  there  as  we  can,  I  think  we  may  then  leave 
Mrs  Seagrave  and  the  children  in  the  tents,  and  work  here. 
As  we  before  agreed,  let  us  abandon  the  house  in  which 
we  live  at  present,  and  fit  out  the  out-house  which  is 
concealed  in  the  cocoa-nut  grove,  as  a  dwelling-house,  and 
fortify  it  so  as  to  be  secure  against  any  sudden  attack  of 
the  savages  :  for,  return  here  we  must,  to  live,  as  we 
cannot  remain  in  the  tents  after  the  rainy  season  sets 
in." 


Masterman  Ready  245 

"  How  do  you  propose  to  fortify  it,  Ready  ?  "  said  Mr 
Seagrave  ;  "  I  hardly  know.     What  is  a  stockade  ?  " 

"That  I  will  explain  to  you  by-and-bye,  sir.  Then,  if 
the  savages  come  here,  at  all  events  we  should  be  able  to 
defend  ourselves  with  fire-arms  ;  one  man  behind  a  stockade 
is  better  than  twenty  who  have  no  other  arms  but  spears 
and  clubs  ;  and  we  may,  with  the  help  of  God,  beat  them 
off." 

"  I  think  your  plan  is  excellent,  Ready,"  said  Mr 
Seagrave,  "  and  that  the  sooner  we  begin,  the  better." 

"  That  there  is  no  doubt  of,  sir.  Now,  the  first  job  is 
for  William  and  me  to  try  for  the  passage  through  this 
side  of  the  reef  with  the  boat,  and  then  we  will  look  for 
the  little  harbour,  which  we  discovered ;  as  soon  as  that 
is  done,  we  will  return,  and  take  the  tents  and  all  we 
require  round  in  the  boat,  and  when  we  have  pitched 
the  tents  and  all  is  arranged,  Mrs  Seagrave  and  the 
children  can  walk  through  the  wood  with  us,  and  take 
possession.  Now,  Mr  Seagrave,  if  we  are  all  agreed,  the 
sooner  we  begin  the  better,  for  we  have  plenty  to  do, 
and  we  must  recollect  that  we  shall  have  to  go  up  to 
the  cove  before  we  can  commence  the  stockade,  to 
procure  nails,  and  many  other  things  ;  indeed,  we  may  as 
v/ell  have  a  regular  survey  of  our  stores  there  when  we 
are  about  it." 

"Let  us  not  lose  a  day,  not  an  hour,  Ready;  we  have 
lost  too  much  time  already,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  and 
may  the  blessing  of  Heaven  attend  our  endeavours.  What 
shall  we  do  to-day  ?  " 

"  At  breakfast,  sir,  we  will  communicate  our  intentions 
to  Mrs  Seagrave  ;  after  breakfast,  William  and  I  will  take 
the  boat,  and  try  for  the  passage.  You  can  remain  here, 
packing  up  the  tents,  and  such  articles  as  must  first  be 
carried  round.     We  shall  be  back,  I  hope,  by  dinner-time." 

They  then  rose,  and  walked  towards  the  house ;  all  felt 
relieved  in  their  minds,  after  they  had  made  this  arrange- 
ment, satisfied  that  they  would  be  using  all  human 
endeavours  to  ward  off  the  danger  which  threatened  them, 


246  Masterman  Ready 

and  might  then  put  their  confidence  in  that  Providence  who 
would,  if  he  thought  fit,  protect  them  in  their  need. 


Chapter  XLVI 

The  subject  was  introduced  to  Mrs  Seagrave  while  they 
were  at  breakfast,  and  as  she  perceived  how  much  more 
secure  they  would  be,  she  cheerfully  consented.  In  less 
than  an  hour  afterwards,  William  and  Ready  had  prepared 
the  boat,  and  were  pulling  out  among  the  rocks  of  the  reef 
to  find  a  passage,  which,  after  a  short  time,  and  by  keep- 
ing two  or  three  cables  from  the  point,  they  succeeded 
in  doing. 

"  This  is  very  fortunate,  Master  William,"  observed 
Ready ;  "  but  we  must  now  take  some  marks  to  find  our 
way  in  again.  See,  sir,  the  large  black  rock  is  on  a  line 
with  the  garden  point :  so,  if  we  keep  them  in  one,  we 
shall  know  that  we  are  in  the  proper  channel,  and  now  for 
a  mark  abreast  of  us,  to  find  out  when  we  enter  it." 

"  Why,  Ready,  the  corner  of  the  turtle  pond  just  touches 
the  right  wall  of  the  house,"  replied  William. 

"  So  it  does,  sir ;  that  will  do,  and  now  let  us  pull  away 
as  hard  as  we  can,  so  as  to  be  back  in  good  time." 

They  soon  were  on  the  south  side  of  the  island,  and 
pulling  up  along  the  shore. 

"  How  far  do  you  think  that  it  is  by  water,  Ready  ? " 

"  I  hardly  know,  Master  William ;  but  at  least  four  or 
five  miles,  so  we  must  make  up  our  minds  to  a  good  hour's 
pull.  At  all  events,  we  shall  sail  back  again  with  this 
wind,  although  there  is  but  little  of  it." 

"  We  are  in  very  deep  water  now,"  observed  William, 
after  a  long  silence. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  on  this  side  of  the  island  we  must  expect  it ; 
the  coral  grows  to  leeward  only.  I  think  that  we  cannot 
be  very  far  from  the  little  harbour  we  discovered.  You 
see,  sir,  we  have  opened  upon  the  meadow  land  and  the 


Masterman  Ready  247 

clumps    of  trees.       Suppose  we    leave   or?  rowing   for  a 
minute,  and  look  about  us." 

"  There  are  two  rocks  close  to  the  shore,  Ready,"  said 
William,  pointing,  "  and  you  recollect  there  were  two  or 
three  rocks  outside  of  the  harbour." 

"Very  true,  Master  William,  and  I  should  not  wonder 
if  you  have  not  hit  upon  the  very  spot.     Let  us  pull  in." 

They  did  so ;  and,  to  their  satisfaction,  found  that  they 
were  in  the  harbour,  where  the  water  was  as  smooth  as  a 
pond. 

"Now,  then,  Master  William,  we  will  step  the  mast, 
and  sail  back  at  our  leisure." 

"  Stop  one  moment,  Ready  ;  give  me  the  boat-hook.  I 
see  something  between  the  clefts  of  the  rocks." 

Ready  handed  the  boat-hook  to  William,  who,  lowering 
it  down  into  the  water,  drove  the  spike  of  iron  at  the  end 
of  it  into  a  large  crayfish,  which  he  hauled  up  into  the 
boat. 

"  That  will  be  an  addition  to  our  dinner,  Master  William," 
said  Ready;  "we  do  not  go  back  empty-handed,  and, 
therefore,  as  the  saying  is,  we  shall  be  more  welcome ; 
now,  then,  let  us  start,  for  we  must  pull  here  again  this 
afternoon,  and  with  a  full  cargo  on  board." 

They  stepped  the  mast,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  pulled 
the  boat  clear  of  the  harbour,  they  set  the  sail,  and  in  less 
than  an  hour  had  rejoined  the  party  at  the  house. 

William  had  brought  up  the  crayfish,  which  had  only 
one  claw,  and  Juno  had  put  on  another  pot  of  water  to 
boil  it,  as  an  addition  to  the  dinner,  which  was  nearly 
ready.  Tommy  at  first  went  with  his  sister  Caroline  to 
look  at  the  animal,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  left  off  admiring 
it,  he  began,  as  usual,  to  tease  it,  as  he  did  the  lion  at  the 
Cape :  first  he  poked  its  eyes  with  a  stick,  then  he  tried  to 
unfold  its  tail,  but  the  animal  flapped,  and  he  ran  away. 
At  last  he  was  trying  to  put  his  stick  into  the  creature's 
mouth,  when  it  raised  its  large  claw,  and  caught  him  by 
the  wrist,  squeezing  him  so  tight  that  Tommy  screamed 
and  danced  about  as  the  crayfish  held  on.     Fortunately  for 


248  Masterman  Ready 

him,  the  animal  had  been  so  long  out  of  water,  and  had 
been  so  much  hurt  by  the  iron  spike  of  the  boat-hook,  that 
it  was  more  than  half  dead,  or  he  would  have  been  severely 
hurt.  Ready  ran  to  him,  and  disengaged  the  crayfish ; 
but  Tommy  was  so  frightened,  that  he  took  to  his  heels, 
and  did  not  leave  off  running  until  he  was  one  hundred 
yards  from  the  house,  while  Juno  and  Ready  were  laughing 
at  him  till  the  tears  came  into  their  eyes.  Tommy  was 
very  sulky  at  being  laughed  at,  so  he  sat  down  when  he 
had  left  off  running,  till  he  saw  the  dinner  going  in,  and 
then  he  came  back,  looking  very  foolish.  When  he  saw 
the  crayfish  on  the  table,  he  appeared  to  be  afraid  of  it, 
although  it  was  dead. 

"Well,  Tommy,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  "I  suppose  you 
won't  eat  any  of  the  crayfish  ? " 

"Won't  I?"  replied  Tommy.  "I'll  eat  him,  for  he 
tried  to  eat  me." 

"  What  part  will  you  have,  Tommy — the  claw  ?  "  said 
Mr  Seagrave. 

"  Yes,  I'll  eat  the  claw,  nasty  beast ;  I'll  eat  him  out  of 
spite." 

"Why  did  you  not  leave  the  animal  alone,  Tommy?" 
said  Mr  Seagrave;  "  if  you  had  not  tormented  it,  it  would 
not  have  bitten  you ;  I  don't  know  whether  you  ought  to 
have  any,  if  you  only  eat  it  out  of  spite ;  you  should  eat 
with  joy  and  gratitude.  What  do  you  say  in  your  grace 
before  meat,  Tommy  ?  tell  me,  sir." 

"  '  For  what  we  are  going  to  receive,  the  Lord  make 
us  truly  thankful,'"  said  Tommy,  gloomily. 

"  Well,  but  by  your  account  you  are  only  '  truly 
spiteful,'  and  therefore  I  do  not  think  you  ought  to  have 
any." 

"  I  don't  like  it ;  I  won't  have  any,"  replied  Tommy. 
"  I  like  salt  pork  better." 

"  Well,  then,  if  you  don't  like  it,  you  shall  not  have 
it  forced  upon  you,  Tommy,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  ;  "so 
now  we'll  divide  it  among  the  rest  of  us." 

Tommy   was   not   very   well   pleased   at    this    decision, 


Masterman  Ready  249 

for  he  really  did  wish  to  have  some  of  it,  so  he  turned 
very  sulky  for  the  rest  of  the  dinner-time,  especially 
when  old  Ready  told  him  that  he  had  had  his  share  of 
the  crayfish  before  dinner. 


Chapter  XLVII 

As  soon  as  the  meal  was  over,  Mr  Seagrave  and  Juno 
assisted  them  in  carrying  down  the  canvas  and  poles  for 
the  tent,  with  shovels  to  clear  away,  and  the  pegs  to 
fix  the  tents  up  properly.  Before  they  started,  William 
observed,  "  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  thing,  if  Ready 
and  I  were  to  take  our  bedding  with  us,  and  then  we 
could  fix  up  one  tent  this  evening,  and  sleep  there ; 
to-morrow  morning  we  might  set  up  the  other,  and 
get  a  good  deal  of  work  over  before  we  came  back." 

"  You  are  right,  Master  William,"  replied  Ready ; 
"  let  us  see  what  Juno  can  give  us  to  eat,  and  then  we 
will  do  as  you  say,  for  the  sooner  we  are  all  there  the 
better." 

As  Mr  Seagrave  was  of  the  same  opinion,  Juno  packed 
up  a  piece  of  salt  pork  and  some  flour  cakes,  which, 
with  three  or  four  bottles  of  water,  they  took  down 
to  the  boat ;  the  axes,  saw,  and  mallet  were  also  put 
in.  Ready  having  thrown  in  a  piece  of  rope  to  moor 
the  boat  with,  they  shoved  off  and  were  soon  through 
the  reef,  and,  after  a  smart  pull,  for  they  were  anxious 
to  get  round  as  soon  as  possible,  they  arrived  again  at 
the  small  harbour. 

As  soon  as  they  had  landed  all  the  things,  they  made 
the  boat  fast  by  the  rope,  and  then  carried  a  portion  of 
the  canvas  and  tent  poles  up  to  the  first  copse  of  trees, 
which  were  the  guavas ;  they  then  returned  for  the 
remainder,  and  after  three  trips  everything  was  up. 

"Now,  Master  William,  we  must  see  where  we  must 
pitch  the  tent ;  we  must  not  be  too  near  the  cocoa-nut 
grove,  or  we  shall  have  too  far  to  go  for  water." 


250  Masterman  Ready 

"  Don't  you  think  that  the  best  place  will  be  close  to 
the  bananas  ?  the  ground  is  higher  there,  and  the  water 
is,  you  know,  between  the  bananas  and  the  yams." 

"Very  true,  Master  William,  I  think  it  will  not  be 
a  bad  place ;  let  us  walk  there  first,  and  reconnoitre  the 
ground." 

They  walked  to  where  the  bananas  were  now  throwing 
out  their  beautiful  large  green  leaves,  and  decided  that 
they  would  fix  the  tents  upon  the  north  side  of  them  -, 
first,  because  the  trees  would  prevent  the  tents  from 
being  seen  from  the  seaward,  and  secondly,  because  the 
clumps  would  shade  them  from  the  sun  during  the 
hottest  portion  of  the  day. 

"  So  here  let  it  be,  Master  William,"  said  Ready  ;  "  and 
now  let  us  go  and  fetch  all  the  things  ;  it  is  a  nice  dry  spot, 
and  I  think  will  do  capitally." 

They  were  soon  hard  at  work,  and  long  before  sunset 
one  tent  was  ready,  and  they  had  put  their  bedding  in  it. 

"  Well,  now,  I  suppose  you  are  a  little  tired,  sir,"  said 
Ready  ;  "  I'm  sure  you  ought  to  be,  for  you  have  worked 
hard  to-day." 

"I  don't  feel  very  tired,  Ready,  but  it's  not  time  to  go 
to  bed  yet." 

"  No,  sir  ;  then  I  think  we  had  better  take  our  shovels 
and  dig  the  pits  for  the  water,  and  then  we  shall  know  by 
to-morrow  morning  whether  the  water  is  good  or  not." 

"  Yes,  Ready,  we  can  do  that  before  we  get  our  suppers, 
and  go  to  bed." 

They  walked  to  where  the  ground  between  the  bananas 
and  yam  patch  was  wet  and  swampy,  and  dug  two  large 
holes  about  a  yard  deep  and  square  ;  the  water  trickled  in 
very  fast,  and  they  were  up  to  their  ankles  before  they  had 
finished. 

"  There'll  be  no  want  of  water,  Ready,  if  it  is  only  fit 
to  drink." 

"I've  no  fear  of  that,  sir,"  replied  Ready,  "but  still 
there's  nothing  like  having  all  done  before  they  come  here  ; 
so  now  our  work  is  finished  for  the  day." 


Masterman  Ready  251 

They  returned  to  the  tent  and  made  their  supper  off  the 
salt  pork  and  flour  cakes,  and  then  lay  down  on  the 
mattresses.  They  were  soon  fast  asleep,  for  they  were 
well  tired  out  with  the  hard  work  which  they  had  gone 
through. 

The  next  morning,  at  sunrise,  they  were  up  again  ;  the 
first  thing  they  did  was  to  go  and  examine  the  holes  they 
had  dug  for  water  ;  they  found  them  full  and  running  over, 
and  the  water  had  settled  quite  clear  ;  they  tasted  it,  and 
pronounced  it  very  good,  but  not  so  good  as  what  they 
had  in  the  well  near  the  house  in  the  bay. 

As  soon  as  they  had  washed  themselves,  they  went  back 
and  made  their  breakfast,  and  then  set  to  work  to  get  up 
the  other  tent,  which  being  for  Mrs  Seagrave  and  the 
children,  was  more  carefully  put  up.  They  then  cleared 
all  the  ground  near  the  tents  of  brushwood  and  high  grass, 
and  levelled  it  nicely  with  their  shovels  inside. 

"Now,  Master  William,  we  have  another  job,  which  is 
to  prepare  a  fire-place  for  Juno  :  we  must  go  down  to  the 
beach  for  stones.  Let  us  take  this  large  bit  of  canvas,  and 
then  between  us  we  may  carry  up  as  many  as  we  require." 

In  another  hour,  the  fire-place  was  completed,  and 
Ready  and  William  looked  at  their  work. 

"  Well,  I  call  this  a  very  comfortable  lodging-house," 
said  Ready. 

"And  I  am  sure,"  replied  William,  "it's  very  pretty. 
Mamma  will  be  delighted  with  it." 

"  We  shall  have  no  want  of  bananas  in  a  few  weeks, 
sir,"  said  Ready  ;  "  look,  they  are  all  in  blossom  already. 
Well,  now  I  suppose  we  had  better  leave  everything  here, 
and  go  back  again.  We  must  have  another  trip  this  after- 
noon, and  sleep  here  to-night." 

They  went  down  to  the  boat,  and  sailed  back  as  before ; 
by  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  they  had  regained  the  house, 
and  then  they  made  the  arrangements  for  their  work  during 
the  remainder  of  the  day.  It  was  agreed  that  the  pro- 
visions necessary  for  a  day  or  two,  the  table  and  chairs,  the 
cooking  utensils,  and  a  portion  of  their  clothes,  should  be 


252  Masterman  Ready 

taken  round  that  afternoon,  that  Ready  and  William  should 
come  back  early  the  next  morning,  and  then  they  should 
all  set  off  together  through  the  wood  to  the  new  location. 
Little  Albert  could  now  walk  very  well,  and  would  not 
require  to  be  carried,  except  now  and  then.  Tommy  and 
Caroline  of  course  would  walk  with  Juno,  the  sheep  and 
lambs  (for  they  had  four  lambs),  the  goats  and  kids,  were 
to  be  driven  through  the  wood  by  Mr  Seagrave,  William, 
and  Ready,  and  the  dogs  would  be  very  useful  in  driving 
them.  As  for  the  fowls  and  chickens,  it  was  decided  they 
should  be  left,  as  Ready  and  William  could  look  after  them 
on  their  occasional  visits. 


Chapter   XLVIII 

The  boat  was  well  loaded  that  afternoon,  and  they  had  a 
heavy  pull  round,  and  hard  work  afterwards,  to  carry  all 
the  articles  up.  William  and  Ready  were,  therefore,  not 
sorry  when  their  work  was  done,  and  they  went  to  bed  as 
soon  as  they  had  taken  their  supper. 

At  sunrise,  they  went  back  to  the  bay  in  the  boat,  which 
they  hauled  up,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  house,  where 
they  found  that  every  one  was  ready  to  start.  Mr  Sea- 
grave  had  collected  all  the  animals,  and  they  set  off;  the 
marks  on  the  trees  were  very  plain,  and  they  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  finding  their  way  ;  but  they  had  a  good  deal  of 
trouble  with  the  goats  and  sheep,  and  did  not  get  on  very 
fast.  It  was  three  hours  before  they  got  clear  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  grove,  and  Mrs  Seagrave  was  quite  tired  out.  At  last 
they  arrived,  and  Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave  could  not  help 
exclaiming  "  how  beautiful !  " 

When  they  came  to  where  the  tents  were  pitched  by  the 
side  of  the  bananas,  they  were  equally  pleased  :  it  was 
quite  a  fairy  spot.  Mrs  Seagrave  went  into  her  tent  to 
repose  after  her  fatigue ;  the  goats  and  sheep  were 
allowed  to  stray  away  as  they  pleased,  and  were  feeding 


Masterman  Ready  253 

with  avidity  upon  the  fresh  herbage  ;  the  dogs  lay  down, 
panting  with  their  long  journey ;  Juno  put  little  Albert  on 
the  bed,  while  she  went  with  William  to  collect  fuel  to 
cook  the  dinner  ;  Ready  went  to  the  pits  to  get  some  water, 
while  Mr  Seagrave  walked  about,  examining  the  different 
clumps  of  trees,  with  which  the  meadow  was  studded ; 
Caroline  was  in  the  tent  with  her  mother,  and  Tommy  sat 
on  the  ground,  and  stared  about  him. 

"When  Ready  returned  with  the  buckets  of  water,  he 
called  the  dogs,  and  went  back  towards  the  yam  plantation. 
Tommy  got  up  after  a  while,  and  followed  ;  the  dogs 
went  into  the  yams,  and  were  soon  barking  furiously, 
which  pleased  Tommy  very  much ;  when,  of  a  sudden,  out 
burst  again,  in  a  drove  all  the  pigs,  followed  by  the  dogs, 
and  so  close  to  Tommy  that  he  screamed  with  fright,  and 
tumbled  over  head  and  heels. 

"  I  thought  you  were  there,  my  gentlemen,"  said  Ready, 
looking  after  the  pigs  ;  "  the  sooner  we  fence  you  out  the 
better." 

The  pigs  scampered  away,  and  went  into  the  cocoa-nut 
grove  as  they  had  done  before.  Tommy  also  scampered 
away  as  soon  as  he  could  recover  his  legs.  The  dogs 
followed  the  pigs,  and  did  not  return  for  a  long  while 
afterwards,  and  then  came  back  hot  and  tired,  proving 
that  they  must  have  chased  them  for  a  long  distance. 

It  was  late  before  the  dinner  was  ready,  and  they  were 
ail  very  glad  to  go  early  to  bed. 

At  day  dawn,  William  and  Ready  had  again  started, 
and  walked  through  the  cocoa-nut  grove  back  to  the  house, 
to  bring  round  in  the  boat  the  articles  of  furniture  and  the 
clothes  which  had  been  left.  Having  collected  everything 
in  the  house,  and  procured  some  more  pork  and  flour  from 
the  storehouse,  they  completed  the  load  by  spearing  one  of 
the  turtles  which  remained,  and  putting  it  into  the  bottom  of 
the  boat ;  they  then  set  off  again  for  their  new  residence, 
and  arrived  in  time  for  breakfast.  After  the  meal  was  over, 
they  were  assisted  by  Juno  and  Mr  Seagrave  in  bringing  the 
contents  of  the  boats  up  to  the  tents. 


254  Masterman  Ready 

"  What  a  delightful  spot  this  is,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave. 
"  I  think  we  ought  always  to  make  it  our  summer 
residence,  and  only  go  back  to  the  house  during  the  rainy 
season." 

"  Itts  much  cooler  here,  madam,  during  the  summer,  and 
much  more  pleasant ;  but  we  are  more  protected  in  the  house 
by  the  coaoa-nut  grove." 

"  Yes,  that  is  true,  and  is  very  valuable  during  the 
rainy  season  ;  but  it  makes  it  warmer  in  the  summer  time ; 
we  have  not  such  a  nice  breeze  as  we  have  here.  I  assure 
you,  Ready,  that  I  like  the  change,  and  shall  be  sorry 
when  we  have  to  go  back  again." 

"  I  saw  such  pretty  parrots  this  morning,"  said  little 
Caroline ;  "I  wish  I  had  one  for  my  very  own." 

"  I'll  try,  miss,  to  find  you  a  young  one  by-and-bye;  but 
it  is  too  soon  yet,"  replied  Ready.  "  Now  I  must  go, 
and  help  Juno  to  cut  up  the  turtle.  We  must  make  our 
larder  among  the  banana  trees." 

"But  what  are  we  all  to  do,  Ready?"  said  Mr  Seagrave; 
"  we  must  not  be  idle." 

"  No,  sir ;  but  I  think  we  must  give  up  this  day 
to  putting  everything  to  rights,  and  making  everything 
comfortable  inside  the  tents;  we  must  be  at  Mrs  Seagrave's 
orders  to-day,  and  to-morrow  we  will  commence  the  ditch 
and  hedge  round  the  yam  plantation.  We  need  not  work 
very  hard  at  it,  for  I  don't  think  the  pigs  will  venture 
here  again,  as  I  mean  to  tie  up  all  the  dogs  round  the 
yam  patch  every  night,  and  their  barking  will  keep  them 
off." 

"That  will  be  a  very  good  plan,  Ready.  What 
beautiful  food  there  is  for  the  sheep  and  goats." 

'*  Yes,  sir ;  this  must  be  their  future  residence  for  the 
best  part  of  the  year.  Now,  sir,  I  think  that  to-morrow 
we  will  begin  a  piece  of  the  ditch,  and  show  William  how 
to  put  in  the  cuttings  of  prickly  pear  for  the  hedge,  and 
then,  sir,  I  should  propose  that  we  leave  Master  William 
here  with  his  mother,  to  work  at  his  leisure,  while  you 
and  I  go  to  the  cove  to  examine  the   stores,  and  select 


Masterman  Ready  255 

what  it  will  be  necessary  to  bring  round.  I  think  you 
said  that  you  must  go  yourself?  " 

"Yes,  Ready,  I  wish  to  go;  Mrs  Seagrave  will  not 
object  to  parting  with  me  for  three  or  four  days.  When 
we  have  made  selection,  I  will  then  return,  and  then  you 
and  William,  who  is  more  used  to  the  boat  than  I  am, 
can  bring  the  stores  round.  I  presume  we  shall  not  bring 
them  here  ? " 

"  No,  sir ;  we  will  take  them  round  to  the  storehouse. 
When  we  have  done  that  job,  we  must  then  commence 
our  alterations  and  our  stockade." 


Chapter  XLIX 

The  next  morning,  they  went  with  their  shovels  to  the 
yam  plantation,  and  commenced  their  work.  As  the 
ground  was  soft  and  swampy,  the  labour  was  very  easy. 
The  ditch  was  dug  nearly  a  yard  wide,  and  the  earth 
thrown  up  on  a  bank  inside.  They  then  went  to  where 
the  large  patch  of  prickly  pears  grew,  and  cut  a  quantity, 
which  they  planted  on  the  top  of  the  bank.  Before  night, 
they  had  finished  about  nine  or  ten  yards  of  the  hedge 
and  ditch. 

"  I  don't  think  that  the  pigs  will  get  over  that  when  it 
is  finished,"  said  Ready,  "  and  Master  William  will  be 
able  to  get  on  by  himself  when  we  are  gone,  as  well  as  if 
we  were  with  him." 

"  Yes  ;  but  not  quite  so  fast,  Ready." 

"  Don't  overwork  yourself,  Master  William ;  all  you 
have  to  do  is  to  tether  the  dogs  as  I  did  last  night,  and 
I  have  no  doubt,  that  after  one  or  two  more  attempts,  the 
pigs  will  come  no  more." 

"  I'll  try  if  I  cannot  shoot  a  pig  or  two,"  said  William. 

"  Let  it  be  a  young  one,  then,  sir  ;  we  must  not  kill  the 
old  ones.  Now  I  think  we  may  as  well  go  back ;  the 
sun  will  soon  be  down,  and  Juno  is  carrying  in  the 
supper." 


256  Masterman  Ready 

Before  Mr  Seagrave  and  Ready  started  on  the  following 
morning,  the  latter  gave  William  directions  as  to  the 
boat.  The  provisions  and  the  knapsack  having  been 
already  prepared,  they  took  leave  of  Mrs  Seagrave,  and 
set  off,  each  armed  with  a  musket,  and  Ready  with  his 
axe  slung  over  his  shoulder.  They  had  a  long  walk 
before  them,  as  they  had  first  to  find  their  way  back  to 
the  house,  and  from  thence  had  to  walk  through  the  wood 
to  the  cove,  so  that  it  was  a  long  round  to  take,  but 
that  could  not  be  helped,  as  they  were  obliged  to  follow 
the  blazing  or  marks  which  they  had  made  in  the 
trees. 

As  soon  as  they  arrived  at  the  house,  they  stopped 
there  an  hour  to  rest,  and  then  went  down  to  the  garden 
at  the  point ;  the  potatoes  and  peas  in  the  garden  were 
looking  very  well,  and  the  onion  seed  had  not  failed. 
Ready  carefully  examined  and  repaired  the  fence,  because, 
as  he  observed,  now  that  the  wild  pigs  were  driven  away 
from  the  yams,  they  would,  in  all  probability,  come  there 
in  search  of  food. 

"  How  solitary  and  deserted  the  place  looks  now, 
Ready,  that  there  is  nothing  living  to  be  seen,"  observed 
Mr  Seagrave.     "  Let  us  go  on." 

They  recommenced  their  journey,  and  in  two  hours 
more  reached  the  cove,  where  they  had  first  landed.  The 
rocks  near  to  it  were  strewed  with  timber  and  planks, 
which  lay  bleaching  in  the  sun,  or  half  buried  in  the 
sand  at  the  little  cove.  Mr  Seagrave  sat  down,  and 
sighed  deeply,  as  he  said,  "  Ready,  the  sight  of  these 
timbers,  of  which  the  good  ship  Pacific  was  built,  and 
which  are  now  strewed  in  every  direction,  recalls  feelings 
which  I  had  hoped  to  have  dismissed  from  my  mind  ;  but 
I  cannot  help  them  rising  up.  The  remains  of  this  vessel 
appear  to  me  as  the  last  link  between  us  and  the  civilised 
world,  which  we  have  been  torn  from,  and  all  my  thoughts 
of  home  and  country,  and  I  may  say  all  my  longing  for 
them,  are  revived  as  strong  as  ever." 

"  And  very  natural  that  they  should,  Mr  Seagrave ;  I 


Masterman  Ready  257 

feel  it  also.  I  am  content,  it  is  true,  because  I  have 
nothing  to  wish  or  look  forward  to ;  but  still  I  could  not 
help  thinking  of  poor  Captain  Osborn  and  my  shipmates, 
as  I  looked  upon  the  wreck,  and  wishing  that  I  might 
take  them  by  the  hand  again.  It  is  very  natural  that  one 
should  do  so.  Why,  sir,  do  you  know  that  I  feel  un- 
happy even  about  the  poor  ship.  We  sailors  love  our 
vessels,  especially  when  they  have  good  qualities,  and  the 
Pacific  was  as  fine  a  vessel  as  ever  was  built  (a  little  wall 
sided,  perhaps,  but  that  was  of  no  consequence).  Now,  sir, 
I  feel  quite  melancholy  when  I  see  her  planks  and  timbers 
lying  about  here.  They  seem  to  me  like  the  skeleton  of 
some  human  being,  who  has  been  cast  away,  and  whose 
bones,  after  a  time,  lie  bleaching  in  the  sun  and  wind. 
But,  sir,  if  we  cannot  help  feeling  as  we  do,  it  is  our 
duty  to  check  the  feeling,  so  that  it  does  not  get  the 
mastery  over  us.     We  can  do  no  more." 

"Very  true,  Ready,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  rising  up;  "it 
is  not  only  useless,  but  even  sinful,  to  indulge  in  them, 
as  they  only  can  lead  to  our  repining  at  the  decrees  of 
Heaven.  Let  us  now  examine  the  rocks,  and  see  if  any- 
thing has  been  thrown  up  that  may  be  of  use  to  us." 

They  walked  round,  but  with  the  exception  of  spars 
and  a  barrel  or  two  of  tar,  they  could  find  nothing  of 
value.  There  was  no  want  of  staves  and  iron  hoops  of 
broken  casks,  and  these,  Ready  observed,  would  make 
excellent  palings  for  the  garden  when  they  had  time  to 
bring  them  round  ;  and  he  said,  that  he  thought  there 
were  so  many,  that  they  might  pale  off  a  piece  of  land 
to  sow  their  wheat  and  barley  in  by-and-bye,  and  in  the 
meantime  it  would  enable  them  to  make  hay  for  the  winter 
provisions  of  the  stock,  which,  however,  was  not  of  such 
consequence,  now  that  they  had  such  a  quantity  of  banana 
stems  to  feed  the  animals  with  during  the  rainy  season. 

After  they  had  returned,  they  sat  down  to  rest  them- 
selves, and  then  they  went  to  the  tents  in  the  cocoa-nut 
grove,  in  which  they  had  collected  the  articles  thrown  up 
when  the  ship  went  to  pieces. 

R  R 


258  Masterman  Ready 

"  Why  !  the  pigs  have  been  at  work  here,"  said  Ready  ; 
"  they  have  contrived  to  open  one  cask  of  flour  somehow 
or  another ;  look,  sir — I  suppose  it  must  have  been  shaky, 
or  they  could  not  have  routed  into  it ;  the  canvas  is  not 
good  for  much,  I  fear  ;  fortunately,  we  have  several  bolts 
of  new,  which  I  brought  on  shore.  Now,  sir,  we  will  see 
what  condition  the  stores  are  in.  All  these  are  casks  of 
flour,  and  we  run  no  risk  in  opening  them,  and  seeing  if 
they  are  in  good  order." 

The  first  cask  which  was  opened  had  a  cake  round  it  as 
hard  as  a  board  ;  but  when  it  was  cut  through  with  the 
axe,  the  inside  was  found  in  a  good  state. 

"  That's  all  right,  sir  ;  and  I  presume  the  others  will  be 
the  same  ;  the  salt  water  has  got  in  so  far  and  made  a  crust, 
which  has  preserved  the  rest ;  however,  we  shall  open  them 
all  as  they  come  to  hand.  But  now  let  us  go  to  dinner, 
and  to  work  afterwards.  We  have  some  nice  cold  fried 
turtle  steaks,  which  Juno  has  packed  up  for  us." 


Chapter   L 

After  dinner  they  resumed  their  labour.  "I  wonder 
what's  in  this  case  ? "  said  Mr  Seagrave,  pointing  to  the 
first  at  hand.  Ready  set  to  work  with  his  axe,  and  broke 
off  the  lid,  and  found  a  number  of  pasteboard  boxes  full 
of  tapes,  narrow  ribbons,  stay  laces,  whalebones,  and 
cottons  on  reels. 

"  This  has  been  sent  out  for  some  Botany  Bay  milliner," 
said  Mr  Seagrave,  "  I  presume,  and  I  don't  doubt  she  has 
been  very  much  put  out  at  not  receiving  it ;  however,  we 
must  confiscate  it  for  the  benefit  of  Mrs  Seagrave  and  Miss 
Caroline.  We  will  take  them  to  them  as  soon  as  we  have 
time.     Now  for  another,  Ready." 

The  next  was  a  box  without  a  lock ;  the  lid  was  forced 
up,  and  they  found  a  dozen  half-gallon  square  bottles  of 
gin  stored  in  divisions. 


Masterman  Ready  259 

"  That's  Hollands,  sir,  I  know,"  said  Ready  ;  "  what 
shall  we  do  with  it  ? " 

"We  will  not  destroy  it,  Ready,  but  at  the  same  time 
we  will  not  use  it  but  as  a  medicine,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  ; 
"  we  have  been  so  long  used  to  spring  water,  that  it  would 
be  a  pity  to  renew  a  taste  for  spirituous  liquors ;  we  will 
take  a  bottle  or  two  of  it  round  when  we  have  room  for  it ; 
it  may  be  useful." 

"  I  trust  we  shall  never  want  to  drink  a  drop  of  it,  sir, 
either  as  a  medicine,  or  otherwise.  Now  for  this  cask  with 
wooden  hoops." 

The  head  was  soon  out,  and  discovered  a  dinner  set  of 
painted  china  with  gold  edges,  which  was  very  beautiful. 

"  Well,  Mr  Seagrave,  this  may  be  useful,  for  we  are 
rather  short  of  plates  and  dishes.  Common  white  would 
have  served  as  well." 

'■  And  be  more  suitable,  certainly,  with  our  present  out- 
fit," replied  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  but  nevertheless,  as  you  say, 
this  fine  china  is  just  as  useful  as  common,  and  therefore 
not  to  be  despised." 

"  Here's  a  box  with  your  name  on  it,  sir,"  said  Ready ; 
"  do  you  know  what  is  in  it  ?  " 

"I  have  no  idea,  Ready,  but  your  axe  will  decide  the 
point." 

When  the  box  was  opened,  everything  appeared  in  a  sad 
mouldy  state  from  the  salt  water  which  had  penetrated ; 
but  on  removing  the  brown  paper  and  pasteboard,  it  was 
found  to  contain  stationery  of  all  sorts,  and  except  on  the 
outside,  it  was  very  little  injured. 

"This  is  indeed  a  treasure,  Ready.  I  recollect  now; 
this  is  paper,  pens,  and  everything  requisite  for  writing, 
besides  children's  books,  copy-books,  paint-boxes,  and  a 
great  many  other  articles  in  the  stationery  line." 

"  Well,  sir,  that  is  fortunate.  Now  we  may  set  up  our 
school,  and  as  the  whole  population  of  the  island  will  attend 
it,  it  will  really  be  a  National  School." 

"  Very  true,  Ready.     Now  for  that  cask." 

"  I  can  tell  what  that  is  by  the  outside  ;  it  is  oil,  and 


n6o  Masterman  Ready 

very  acceptable,  for  our  candles  are  nearly  out.  But  there 
are  two  or  three  cases  more  of  candles  which  we  saved. 
We  shall  come  to  them  by-and-bye.  Now  we  come  to  the 
most  valuable  of  all  our  property." 

"  What  is  that,  Ready  ? " 

"  All  the  articles  which  I  brought  on  shore  in  the  dif- 
ferent trips  I  took  in  the  boat  before  the  ship  went  to 
pieces ;  for  you  see,  sir,  iron  don't  swim,  and,  therefore, 
what  I  looked  after  most  was  iron  ware  of  all  sorts,  and 
tools.  I  have  a  famous  lot  of  nails.  Here  are  three  kegs 
of  small  nails,  besides  two  bags  of  large,  and  there  are 
several  axes,  hammers,  and  other  tools,  besides  all  these 
hanks  of  twine,  sailing  needles,  and  beeswax,  and  here's 
a  few  bolts  of  fine  canvas,  and  all  in  good  order." 

"  They  are  indeed  valuable,  Ready." 

"  Yes,  sir,  we  should  have  been  sadly  in  want  of 
them,  for  those  two  savages  took  all  that  they  could 
lay  their  hands  upon  in  the  way  of  iron  when  they 
started  off  in  the  canoe.  It  was  fortunate  we  had  not 
brought  any  more  round.  Here's  some  more  of  my 
plunder,  as  the  Americans  say.  All  these  are  wash-deck 
buckets,  this  a  small  harness-cask  for  salting  meat,  and 
here's  the  cook's  wooden  trough  for  making  bread, 
which  will  please  Miss  Juno ;  and  in  it,  you  see,  I  have 
put  all  the  galley-hooks,  ladles,  and  spoons,  and  the 
iron  trivets  (they  will  be  very  useful),  and  here's  two 
lamps.  I  think  I  put  some  cotton  wicks  somewhere — 
I  know  I  did ;  we  shall  find  them  by-and-bye.  Here's 
the  two  casks,  one  of  cartridges  made  up,  and  the 
other  of  gunpowder ;  and  here's  the  half-cask  of  cart- 
ridges, all  in  good  order,  and  the  other  six  muskets, 
which,  by-the-bye,  will  want  a  little  cleaning.  But 
that  was  to  be  expected." 

"  These  are  really  treasures,  Ready,  and  yet  how 
well  we  have  done  without  them." 

"Very  true,  sir,  but  we  shall  do  better  with  them, 
and  when  we  fit  up  the  storehouse  for  a  dwelling,  Mr 
Seagrave,    we    shall   be   able   to    make   it   a   little   more 


Masterman  Ready  261 

comfortable  in  every  respect  than  the  present  one  ;  for 
you  see  there,  all  the  fir-planking  and  deals,  which  Master 
William  and  I  buried  in  the  sand ;  why,  sir,  we  shall  be 
able  to  floor  the  house,  and  make  capital  bed-places." 

"I  really  had  quite  forgotten  them,  Ready;  but,  as 
you  say,  there  are  enough  for  all  that  you  propose,  and 
twice  over.  If  I  could  but  get  the  fear  of  the  savages 
coming  over  out  of  my  head,  I  really  think  we  might 
live  very  comfortably,  even  on  this  island." 

"  Do  you  know,  Mr  Seagrave,  I  am  glad  to  hear  you 
say  that,  for  it  proves  that  you  are  more  contented  and 
resigned  than  you  were." 

"I  am  so,  Ready — at  least  I  think  so ;  but  perhaps 
it  is,  that  the  immediate  danger  from  the  savages  so 
fills  my  thoughts,  that  I  no  longer  dwell  so  much  upon 
our  being  taken  off  the  island.  One  anxiety  has  to  a 
certain  degree  driven  away  and  quelled  the  other." 

"  I  daresay  it  is  as  you  state,  sir ;  but  now  let  us  go 
on  with  our  search.  Here  are  the  ship's  compasses,  and 
deep  sea  line  and  reel,  also  the  land  lead.  The  stuff 
will  be  very  useful  for  our  little  boat." 

"  And  I  am  very  glad  of  the  compasses,  Ready ;  for 
with  them  I  shall  be  able  to  make  a  sort  of  survey  of 
the  island,  when  I  have  a  little  time.  Your  pocket 
compass  is  too  small  for  surveying.  Perhaps  you  don't 
know  that  in  my  younger  days  I  went  out  to  Sydney 
as  a  surveyor  ?  " 

"  No,  I  never  did  hear  of  that.  I  suppose,  then,  you'll 
fae  able  to  tell  exactly  how  many  acres  of  feed  we  have 
for  the  animals  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  will  tell  you  that  as  soon  as  we  get  back ; 
but  I  shall  take  some  bearings  now,  while  I  am  here, 
as  I  may  not  be  back  again  very  soon." 

"Well,  sir,  I  think  if  we  open  this  other  case,  which 
I  perceive  has  your  name  on  it,  it  will  be  as  much  as  we 
need  do  to-day,  for  the  sun  is  going  down,  and  I  feel 
a  little  tired ;  we  can  then  make  up  some  kind  of  bed, 
eat  our  suppers,  and  go  to  sleep." 


262  Masterman  Ready 

"I  am  very  tired,  Ready,  and  shall  be  glad  to  do  as 
you  propose.  That  case  contains  books ;  but  what 
portion  of  my  library  I  do  not  know." 

"  But  you  soon  will,  sir,"  replied  Ready,  wrenching 
it  open  with  his  axe.  "  They  are  a  little  stained  on 
the  outside,  but  they  are  jammed  so  tight,  that  they 
do  not  appear  to  have  suffered  much.  Here  are  one 
or  two,  sir." 

"  Plutarch's  Lives.  I  am  glad  I  have  them :  they  are 
excellent  reading  for  young  or  old ;  there  is  no  occasion 
to  open  any  more,  Ready,  as  I  know  all  the  other  books 
in  the  case  are  '  History ; '  perhaps  the  best  case  which 
could  have  been  saved." 

"  I  think  there  are  two  others,  sir ;  but  that  we  can 


see  to-morrow." 


Chapter  LI 

Mr  Seagrave  and  Ready  then  set  to  work,  and  made 
a  rough  sort  of  bed  of  cocoa-nut  branches ;  and,  after 
eating  their  supper,  committed  themselves  to  the  divine 
protection,  and  went  to  sleep.  The  next  morning  they 
resumed  their  labour,  and  opened  every  other  case  and 
package  that  had  been  saved  from  the  wreck ;  they  found 
more  books,  four  boxes  of  candles,  three  casks  of  rice 
(good  and  damaged),  and  several  other  useful  articles, 
besides  many  others  which  were  of  no  value  to  them. 

A  chest  of  tea,  and  two  bags  of  coffee,  which  Ready 
had  brought  on  shore,  were,  much  to  their  delight,  found 
in  good  order ;  but  there  was  no  sugar,  the  little  which 
they  had  saved  having  been  melted  away. 

"That's  unfortunate,  sir.  Master  Tommy  won't  like 
to  go  without  sugar ;  but  it  is  not  absolutely  necessary." 

"  Master  Tommy  must  learn  privation,  Ready.  We 
cannot  expect  to  get  things  here,  as  though  we  were  a 
hundred  yards  from  a  grocer's  shop.  Now  let  us  go  to 
where  we  covered  up  the  other  articles  with  sand." 


Masterman  Ready  263 

The  sand  was  shovelled  up,  and  the  barrels  of  beef  and 
pork  and  the  deal  boards  found  in  good  order,  but  many 
other  things  were  quite  spoilt.  About  noon  they  had 
finished,  and  as  they  had  plenty  of  time,  Mr  Seagrave  took 
the  bearings  of  the  different  points  of  land  with  the  com- 
passes. They  then  shouldered  their  muskets,  and  Ready 
taking  a  few  pounds  of  damaged  rice  for  the  fowls,  set 
off  on  their  return. 

They  gained  the  house  in  the  bay,  and  having  rested  a 
little  while  at  the  storehouse,  they  proceeded  on  their  way 
to  the  tents  in  the  meadow.  They  had  about  half  a  mile 
to  go,  when  Ready  heard  a  noise,  and  made  a  sign  to  Mr 
Seagrave  to  stop.  Ready  whispering  to  Mr  Seagrave  that 
the  pigs  were  all  close  to  them,  loaded  his  musket ;  Mr 
Seagrave  did  the  same,  and  they  walked  very  softly  to 
where  they  now  heard  their  grunting  ;  they  did  not  see 
them  till  they  were  within  twenty  yards,  and  then  they 
came  upon  the  whole  herd  :  the  pigs  raised  their  heads  ; 
the  old  ones  gave  a  loud  grunt,  and  then,  just  as  Ready 
fired  his  musket,  they  all  set  off  at  full  speed.  Mr  Sea- 
grave had  no  opportunity  of  firing,  but  Ready  had  shot 
one,  which  lay  kicking  and  struggling  under  a  cocoa-nut 
tree. 

"  A  piece  of  fresh  pork  will  be  quite  a  treat,  Mr  Sea- 
grave," said  Ready,  as  they  walked  up  to  where  the 
animal  was  lying. 

"  It  will,  indeed,  Ready,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  ;  "  we 
must  contrive  to  carry  the  beast  home  between  us." 

"We  will  sling  it  on  the  musket,  sir,  and  it  will  not 
be  very  heavy.  It  is  one  of  those  born  on  the  island,  and 
a  very  fine  fellow  for  his  age.". 

The  pig  was  soon  slung,  and  they  carried  it  between 
them.  As  they  cleared  the  wood,  they  perceived  Mrs 
Seagrave  and  William,  who  had  heard  the  report  of  the 
musket,  and  had  come  out  to  meet  them.  Mrs  Seagrave 
was  a  little  agitated,  but  as  soon  as  she  saw  the  pig,  she 
knew  why  the  musket  had  been  fired. 

"I  was  a  little  alarmed  when  I  heard  the  musket  fired, 


264  Masterman  Ready 

I  must  say,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  as  she  embraced  her 
husband.  "  I  had  no  idea  that  you  would  be  back  to- 
day.    "We  are  all  quite  well." 

William  took  the  load  from  his  father,  who  walked  on 
with  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  Well,  Master  William,  what  news  have  you  ? "  said 
Ready. 

"  Why,  very  good,  Ready.  Yesterday  evening,  when 
I  was  tired  of  work,  I  thought  I  would  take  the  boat,  and 
try  if  there  was  any  fish  to  be  caught  on  this  side  of  the 
island,  in  the  deep  water,  and  I  caught  three  large  ones, 
quite  different  from  those  we  took  among  the  reefs.  We 
had  one  for  breakfast  and  dinner  to-day,  and  it  was  ex- 
cellent." 

"  Did  you  go  out  in  the  boat  by  yourself? " 

"  No ;  I  took  Juno  with  me.  Mamma  said  that  she 
could  spare  her  for  an  hour  or  so.  She  pulls  very  well, 
Ready." 

"  She  is  a  handy  girl,  Master  William.  Well,  we  have 
had  our  survey,  and  there  will  be  plenty  of  work  for  you 
and  me,  I  can  tell  you  ;  I  don't  think  we  can  bring  every- 
thing round  in  a  week  ;  so  I  suppose  to-morrow  we  had 
better  be  off.     But  we  must  hear  what  your  father  says." 

"Well,  I  like  boating  better  than  ditching,  I  can  tell 
you,  Ready,"  replied  William.  "  I  shan't  be  sorry  to 
leave  that  work  to  my  father." 

"  I  suppose  it  must  fall  to  him,  sir ;  as  he  will,  of  course, 
prefer  staying  with  Mrs  Seagrave  and  the  children." 

As  soon  as  they  were  at  the  tents,  Ready  hung  up  the 
pig  to  the  cross  pole  of  the  tent  in  which  he  and  William 
and  Mr  Seagrave  slept,  and  having  propped  the  muskets 
up  against  the  side  of  the  tent,  he  went  with  William  to 
get  his  knife  and  some  stretchers  of  wood  to  open  the  pig 
with.  While  he  and  William  were  away,  Caroline  and 
Tommy  came  out  to  look  at  the  pig,  and  Tommy,  after 
telling  Caroline  how  glad  he  was  that  they  were  to  have 
roast  pig  for  dinner,  took  up  one  of  the  muskets,  and  said, 
"Now,  Caroline,  I'll  shoot  the  pig." 


Masterman  Ready  265 

"  Oh  !  Tommy,  you  must  not  touch  the  gun,"  cried 
Caroline;  "papa  will  be  very  angry  ;  recollect  you  made 
it  go  off  when  we  were  at  the  cove." 

"I  don't  care,"  replied  Tommy.  "I'll  show  you  how 
to  shoot  the  pig." 

"Don't,  Tommy,"  cried  Caroline;  "  if  you  do,  I'll  go 
and  tell  mamma." 

"  Then  I'll  shoot  you,"  replied  Tommy,  trying  to  point 
the  musket  at  her. 

Caroline  was  so  frightened,  that  she  ran  away  as  fast 
as  she  could,  and  then  Tommy,  using  all  his  strength,  con- 
trived to  get  the  musket  up  to  his  shoulder,  and  pulled 
the  trigger. 

It  so  happened  that  Tommy  had  taken  up  Mr  Seagrave's 
musket,  which  had  not  been  fired,  and  when  he  pulled 
the  trigger  it  went  off,  and  as  he  did  not  hold  it  tight  to 
his  shoulder,  it  recoiled,  and  hit  him  with  the  butt  right 
on  his  face,  knocking  out  two  of  his  teeth,  and  bruising 
his  cheek  very  much,  besides  making  his  nose  bleed  very  fast. 

Tommy  was  so  astonished  and  frightened  at  the  musket 
going  off,  and  the  blow  which  he  received,  that  he  gave  a 
loud  yell,  dropped  the  musket,  and  ran  to  the  tent  where 
his  father  and  mother  were,  just  as  they  had  started  up 
and  had  rushed  out  at  hearing  the  report. 

When  Mrs  Seagrave  saw  Tommy  all  covered  with 
blood,  and  screaming  so  loud,  she  was  so  alarmed  that  she 
could  not  stand,  and  she  fell  fainting  in  Mr  Seagrave's 
arms.  Ready  and  William,  on  hearing  the  musket  go  off, 
had  run  as  fast  as  they  could,  fearing  that  some  accident 
had  happened ;  and  while  Mr  Seagrave  supported  his  wife, 
Ready  went  to  Tommy,  and  wiping  the  blood  off  his  face 
with  the  palm  of  his  hand,  perceived  that  there  was  no 
wound  or  serious  mischief,  and  cried  out  to  Mr  Seagrave, 
"  He's  not  hurt,  sir  ;  it's  only  his  nose  bleeding.  Leave 
off  crying  and  screaming,  you  naughty  boy.  How  dare 
you  touch  the  musket  ?  " 

"  Musket  knock  me  down,"  cried  Tommy,  sobbing,  as 
the  blood  ran  out  of  his  mouth. 


266  Masterman  Ready 

"  Serve  you  right,  Master  Tommy ;  you'll  take  care  not 
to  touch  the  musket  again  ?  " 

"  I  won't  touch  it  again,"  cried  Tommy,  blubbering ; 
"it  shoot  me." 

Juno  now  came  up  with  some  water  to  wash  his  face ; 
Mrs  Seagrave  had  recovered,  and  gone  back  into  the  tent, 
on  Mr  Seagrave  telling  her  that  it  was  only  Tommy's  nose 
which  was  bleeding. 

In  about  half  an  hour  Tommy  had  ceased  crying,  and 
his  nose  had  left  off  bleeding ;  his  face  was  washed,  and 
then  it  was  discovered  that  he  had  lost  two  front  teeth, 
and  that  his  cheek  and  lips  were  very  much  bruised.  He 
was  undressed,  and  put  to  bed,  and  was  soon  fast  asleep. 

"  I  should  not  have  left  the  muskets,"  said  Ready  to 
William ;  "it  was  my  fault,  but  I  thought  Mr  Tommy 
had  been  told  so  often  not  to  touch  fire-arms,  that  he 
would  not  have  dared  to  do  so ;  but  if  there  is  mischief  to 
be  done,  he  is  certain  to  find  it  out." 

"  He  pointed  it  at  me,  and  tried  to  shoot  me,"  said 
Caroline,  "  but  I  ran  away." 

"  Merciful  heavens  !  what  an  escape !  "  cried  Mrs  Sea- 
grave. "  Had  he  pulled  the  trigger  then,  my  dear  child 
would  have  been  killed.     Naughty  boy  that  he  is." 

"  He  has  been  well  punished  this  time,  madam,  and  I'll 
venture  to  say  he  will  not  touch  a  musket  again  in  a 
hurry." 

"  Yes ;  but  he  must  be  punished  more,"  said  Mr  Sea- 
grave ;  "he  must  remember  it." 

"Well,  sir,  if  he  is  to  be  punished  more,  I  think  you 
cannot  punish  him  better  than  by  not  allowing  him  to  have 
any  of  the  pig  when  it  is  cooked.  Master  Tommy  is  so 
fond  of  his  dinner,  that  it  will  be  the  greatest  punishment 
which  you  can  inflict." 

"  I  think  so  too,  Ready  ;  and  therefore  that  is  a  settled 
thing — no  pig  for  Master  Tommy." 

After  this  conversation  they  had  their  supper,  and  went 
to  bed. 


Masterman  Ready  16 j 


Chapter    LII 

The  next  morning  Master  Tommy's  face  presented  a  very 
woeful  appearance.  His  cheek  and  lips  were  swelled  and 
black,  and  the  loss  of  his  two  front  teeth  made  him  look 
much  worse ;  fortunately,  they  were  his  first  teeth,  or  it 
would  have  been  of  more  serious  consequence. 

Tommy  looked  very  glum  when  he  came  to  breakfast. 
But  he  had  been  very  saucy  to  Juno,  telling  her  that  he 
had  shot  the  pig,  and  would  go  out  and  shoot  another, 
as  soon  as  this  one  was  eaten  up. 

There  was  the  pig's  fry  for  breakfast,  and  the  smell 
of  it  had  been  very  inviting  to  Tommy  ;  but  when  his 
father  scolded  him,  and  told  him  that  he  was  not  to  have 
one  bit  of  the  pig,  he  began  to  cry  and  roar  so  loud, 
that  he  was  sent  away  from  the  tents  till  he  had  left 
off. 

After  breakfast,  Ready  proposed  that  he  and  William 
should  take  the  boat,  and  begin  their  labour  of  carrying 
the  articles  round  from  the  cove  to  the  bay  where  the 
house  was,  pointing  out  that  there  was  not  a  day  to  be 
lost.  Juno  had,  at  his  request,  already  baked  a  large 
piece  of  the  pig  for  them  to  take  with  them,  and  boiled 
a  piece  of  salt  pork,  so  that  they  were  all  ready  to  start. 
Mr  Seagrave  agreed  to  work  at  the  hedge  and  ditch  round 
the  yam  plantations  during  their  absence. 

"  But,  Ready,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  "  how  long  do  you 
intend  to  remain  absent  with  William  ?  " 

"  Why,  madam,  this  is  Wednesday  ;  of  course  we  shall 
be  back  on  Saturday  night.  We  must  get  the  work  done, 
and  the  sooner  the  better." 

"  My  dear  William,  I  cannot  bear  the  idea  of  your  being 
absent  so  long,  and  as  you  will  be  on  the  water  every 
day,  I  shall  be  in  a  continual  fright  until  I  see  you 
again." 


268  Masterman  Ready 

"  Well,  mamma,  I  suppose  I  must  write  by  the  penny 
post,  to  let  you  know  how  I  am." 

"  Don't  laugh  at  me,  William.  I  do  wish  there  was 
a  penny  post,  and  that  you  could  write  every  day." 

Ready  and  William  made  every  preparation  for  a  con- 
tinued absence.  They  took  their  blankets  with  them,  and 
a  small  pot  for  cooking,  and  when  all  was  prepared,  they 
bade  Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave  farewell.  Juno  assisted  to  get 
the  luggage  down  to  the  boat.  They  were  now  to  pull  to 
the  bay,  and  leave  their  luggage,  and  then  to  go  round  to 
the  cove.  As  they  shoved  off,  William  took  the  dog 
Remus  into  the  boat. 

"  Why  do  you  take  the  dog,  Master  William  ?  he  will 
be  of  use  here  in  keeping  the  pigs  away,  but  of  no  use 
to  us." 

"  Yes,  he  will,  Ready  ;  I  must  take  him  ;  for  I  have 
an  idea  come  into  my  head,  so  let  me  have  my  own 
way." 

"  Well,  Mr  William,  you  can  always  have  your  own 
way,  as  far  as  I'm  concerned  ;  if  you  wish  to  take  the  dog, 
there  is  an  end  of  the  matter.     Good-bye,  Juno." 

"  Good-bye,  Massa  Ready  ;  good-bye,  Mr  William  ; 
mind  you  come  back  Saturday,  and  bring  fish  with  you." 

"We'll  bring  you  a  turtle,  Juno;  for  they  will  come 
to  the  island  again  soon,  and  then  we  will  turn  plenty 
more." 

They  hoisted  the  sail,  and  as  the  breeze  was  fresh, 
were  round  to  the  bay  in  a  very  short  time.  They  took 
their  provisions  and  stores  up  to  the  house,  and  made  fast 
the  door,  called  the  fowls,  and  gave  them  some  of  the 
damaged  rice  which  Ready  had  brought  round  with  him, 
and  found,  to  their  great  delight,  that  they  had  now 
upwards  of  forty  chickens,  all  healthy,  and  doing  well  ; 
some,  indeed,  quite  grown,  and  large  enough  to  kill ;  but 
as  they  had  plenty  of  fresh  provisions,  it  had  been  decided 
that  they  should  not  be  touched  as  yet,  for  the  eggs  would 
be  of  more  value  to  them  than  the  fowls. 

They  then  got   into   the   boat   again,  and  pulled  away 


Masterman  Ready  269 

for  the  cove  ;  the  wind  was  fresh,  and  against  them,  so 
they  had  a  long  pull ;  but,  as  Ready  observed,  it  was 
much  better  that  it  should  be  so,  as,  when  the  boat  was 
loaded,  they  could  very  quickly  sail  back  again  to  the 
bay. 

As  soon  as  they  arrived  at  the  cove,  they  lost  no  time  in 
loading  the  boat  ;  the  nails,  and  iron  work  of  every 
description,  with  the  twine  and  tools  which  Ready  had 
brought  on  shore,  composed  the  major  part  of  the  first 
cargo  ;  a  cask  of  flour,  and  a  box  of  candles,  with  some 
bolts  of  canvas,  filled  the  boat,  and  calling  Remus,  who 
was  lying  on  the  sandy  beach  at  the  cove,  they  shoved  off, 
hoisted  their  sail,  and  in  an  hour  had  regained  the  bay,  and 
passed  through  the  reef. 

"  I'm  glad  that  this  cargo  has  arrived  safe,  Master 
William,  for  it  is  very  valuable  to  us.  Now  we  will  take 
them  all  up,  and  that  will  be  sufficient  for  to-day  ;  to- 
morrow, if  we  can,  we  will  make  two  trips  ;  do  you  think 
you  can  manage  it,  sir  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  yes  ;  if  we  only  start  very  early,"  replied 
William  ;  "  but  now  let  us  have  our  dinner,  and  carry 
the  remainder  of  the  things  up  afterwards." 

As  they  were  eating  their  dinner,  and  William  was 
giving  the  bones  to  the  dog,  Ready  said,  "  Pray,  Master 
William,  what  was  the  idea  in  your  head  which  made  you 
bring  Remus  with  you  ?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you,  Ready  ;  I  may  be  wrong,  but  I  think  I 
am  not ;  I  mean  him  to  carry  a  letter  to  mamma ;  you 
know  that  he  always  goes  back  when  he  is  ordered,  and 
now  I  wish  to  see  if  he  will  not  go  back  to  the  tents, 
if  he  is  told.  I  have  brought  a  piece  of  paper  and  pencil 
with  me." 

William  then  wrote  on  the  paper, 

"  Dear  Mamma, — We  are  quite  well,  and  just  re- 
turned with  the  first  cargo  quite  safe. — Your  affectionate 
son,  "  William." 

William  tied  the  paper  round  the   dog's  neck  with  a 


270  Masterman  Ready- 

piece  of  twine,  and  then  calling  him  out  of  the  house,  said 
to  him,  "  Remus,  go  back,  sir — go  back,  sir  ; "  the  dog 
looked  wistfully  at  William,  as  if  not  sure  of  what  he  was 
to  do,  ~but  William  took  up  a  stone,  and  pretended  to 
throw  it  at  the  dog,  who  ran  away  a  little  distance,  and 
then  stopped. 

"  Go  bach,  Remus — go  back,  sir."  William  again  pre- 
tended to  throw  the  stone,  repeating  the  order,  and  then 
the  dog  set  off  as  fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him  through 
the  cocoa-nut  grove. 

"He  is  gone  at  all  events,"  said  William  ;  "I  think  he 
will  go  home." 

"We  shall  see,  sir,"  replied  Ready;  "and  now  that 
we  have  finished  our  dinner,  we  will  bring  up  the  things." 

"  Where  shall  we  put  them  ?  " 

"  In  the  storehouse,  Master  William.  It  will  be  a  good 
long  job,  for  those  kegs  of  nails  and  cases  are  very  heavy, 
and  will  require  both  of  us  to  carry  them  j  so  we  must 
make  a  good  many  trips.  However,  we  have  three  or 
four  hours'  daylight." 


Chapter  LIII 

As  soon  as  they  had  carried  up  the  whole  of  the  cargo,  they 
secured  the  boat,  and  went  up  to  the  house  to  sleep.  Just 
as  they  went  in,  Remus  came  bounding  up  to  them  with 
the  letter  round  his  neck. 

"  Here's  the  dog,  Master  William,"  said  Ready ;  "  He 
won't  go  home  after  all." 

"  How  provoking  j  I  made  sure  he  would  go  back  ;  I 
really  am  disappointed.  We  will  give  him  nothing  to  eat, 
and  then  he  will ;  but  dear  me,  Ready,  this  is  not  the 
paper  I  tied  round  his  neck.  I  think  not.  Let  me  see." 
William  took  the  paper,  opened  it,  and  read, 

"Dear  William, —  Your  letter  arrived  safe,  and  we 


Masterman  Ready  271 

are  glad  you  are  well.  Write  every  day,  and  God  bless 
you ;  it  was  very  clever  of  you  and  Remus. —  Your 
affectionate  mother,  "  Selina  Seagrave." 

"  Well,  it  is  very  clever,"  said  Ready  ;  "  I'm  sure  I  had 
no  idea  he  had  gone  ;  and  his  coming  back  again,  too, 
when  he  was  ordered." 

"  Dear  Remus,  good  dog,"  said  William,  caressing  it ; 
"  nice,  good  dog :  now  I'll  give  you  a  good  supper,  for 
you  deserve  it." 

"  So  he  does,  sir.  Well,  you've  established  a  post  on 
the  island,  which  is  a  great  improvement.  Seriously,  Mr 
William,  it  may  prove  very  useful." 

"  At  all  events  it  will  be  a  great  comfort  to  my 
mother." 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  especially  as  we  shall  be  obliged  all  three 
to  be  here  when  we  fit  up  the  storehouse,  and  make  the 
proposed  alterations.  Now  I  think  we  had  better  go  to 
bed,  sir,  for  we  must  be  up  with  the  lark  to-morrow,  as 
they  say  in  England." 

"  And  here  I  suppose  we  must  say,  up  with  the  parrots ; 
for  they  are  the  only  land  birds  on  the  island." 

"  You  forget  the  pigeons,  sir ;  I  saw  one  of  them  in  the 
wood  the  other  day,  but  they  are  breeding  just  now. 
Good-night,  sir." 

The  next  morning,  they  were  off  before  breakfast,  and 
as  the  wind  was  not  so  fresh,  they  had  not  so  hard  a  pull. 
The  boat  was  soon  loaded,  and  they  returned  under  sail. 
They  then  breakfasted,  and  having  left  the  things  they 
had  brought  on  the  beach,  that  they  might  lose  no  time, 
they  set  off  again,  and  returned  with  another  cargo  two 
hours  before  dusk ;  this  they  landed,  and  then  secured  the 
boat.  As  soon  as  they  were  in  the  house,  William  wrote 
on  a  piece  of  paper : — 

"  Dear  Mamma, — We  have  brought  round  two  cargoes 
to-day.     All  well,  and  very  tired. — Yours, 

"  William." 


272  Masterman  Ready- 

Remus  did  not  require  any  teaching  this  time.  William 
patted  him,  and  said,  "  Good  dog.  Now,  Remus,  go 
back — go  home,  sir  ;  "  and  the  dog  wagged  his  tail,  and 
set  off  immediately. 

Before  they  were  in  bed,  the  dog  returned  with  the 
answer. 

"  How  fast  he  must  run,  Ready ;  he  has  not  been  away 
more  than  two  hours." 

"No,  sir.     What  does  mamma  say  ?" 

"  Only,  '  All's  well ;  won't  detain  your  messenger.'" 

"  So  now,  Remus,  you  shall  have  plenty  of  supper,  and 
plenty  of  patting  and  coaxing,  for  you  are  a  clever,  good 
little  dog." 

The  next  day,  as  they  had  to  take  the  two  cargoes  up 
to  the  house,  they  could  only  make  one  trip  to  the  cove. 
The  post  was  sent  to  the  tents,  and  returned  with  the 
answer  as  before. 

On  Saturday  they  only  made  one  trip,  as  they  had  to 
return  to  the  tents,  which  they  did  by  water,  having 
first  put  a  turtle  into  the  boat ;  on  their  arrival,  they 
found  them  all  at  the  little  harbour,  waiting  to  receive 
them. 

"Well,  William,  dear,  you  did  keep  your  promise  and 
send  me  a  letter  by  post,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave.  "  How 
very  delightful  it  is  ;  I  shall  have  no  fear  now  when  you 
are  all  away." 

"I  must  teach  Romulus  and  Vixen  to  do  the  same, 
mamma." 

"  And  I'll  teach  the  puppies,"  said  Tommy;  "and  I'll 
write  letters." 

"  Yes,  Master  Tommy ;  by  the  time  you  can  write  a 
letter,  the  puppies  will  be  old  enough  to  carry  it,"  said 
Ready.  "  I  see  your  face  is  not  quite  well  yet ;  you  won't 
shoot  any  more  dead  pigs,  I  hope." 

"No,  I  won't;  but  I'll  eat  plenty  more  of  the  next  one 
that  you  kill." 

"  That  will  be  much  wiser,  Master  Tommy.  Come, 
Albert,  dear,  I'll  carry  you  up ;  you  and  I  haven't  had  a 


Masterman  Ready  173 

game  of  play  for  a  long  while.     How  does  the  ditch  and 
hedge  get  on,  Mr  Seagrave  ?  " 

"Pretty  well,  Ready,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave;  "I  have 
nearly  finished  two  sides.  I  think  by  the  end  of  next 
week  I  shall  have  pretty  well  enclosed  it." 

"  Well,  sir,  you  must  not  work  too  hard,  there  is  no 
great  hurry ;  William  and  I  can  get  through  a  great  deal 
together." 

"It  is  my  duty  to  work,  Ready ;  and  I  may  add,  it  is  a 
pleasure.     Now  we  will  go  to  supper." 

As  they  were  at  supper  the  conversation  turned  upon 
the  cleverness  shown  by  the  dog  Remus. 

Mr  Seagrave  then  narrated  many  instances  of  the  sagacity 
of  animals,  when  William  asked  the  question  of  his  father  : 
"  What  is  the  difference  then  between  reason  and 
instinct  ? " 

"  The  difference  is  very  great,  William,  as  I  will  explain 
to  you ;  but  I  must  first  observe,  that  it  has  been  the 
custom  to  say  that  man  is  governed  by  reason,  and  animals 
by  instinct,  alone.  This  is  an  error.  Man  has  instinct  as 
well  as  reason ;  and  animals,  although  chiefly  governed  by 
instinct,  have  reasoning  powers." 

"In  what  points  does  man  show  that  he  is  led  by 
instinct  ? " 

"When  a  child  is  first  born,  William,  it  acts  by  instinct 
only,  the  reasoning  powers  are  not  yet  developed ;  as  we 
grow  up,  our  reason  becomes  every  day  more  matured, 
and  gains  the  mastery  over  our  instinct,  which  decreases  in 
proportion." 

"Then,  when  we  have  grown  to  a  good  old  age,  I 
suppose  we  have  no  instinct  left  in  us  ?  " 

"  Not  so,  my  dear  boy  ;  there  is  one  and  a  most  power- 
ful instinct  implanted  in  man  which  never  deserts  him  on 
this  side  of  the  grave.  It  is  the  fear,  not  of  death,  but  of 
utter  annihilation,  that  of  becoming  nothing  after  death. 
This  instinctive  feeling  could  not  have  been  so  deeply 
implanted  in  us,  but  as  an  assurance  that  we  shall  not  be 
annihilated  after  death,  but  that  our  souls  shall  still  exist, 
r  s 


274  Masterman  Ready 

although  our  bodies  shall  have  perished.     It  may  be  termed 
the  instinctive  evidence  of  a  future  existence." 

"That    is    very   true,    Mr    Seagrave,"    observed    old 
Ready. 

"  Instinct  in  animals,  William,"  continued  Mr  Seagrave, 
"is  a  feeling  which  compels  them  to  perform  certain  acts 
without  previous  thought  or  reflection ;  this  instinct  is  in 
full  force  at  the  moment  of  their  birth ;  it  is  the  guidance 
of  the  Almighty's  hand  unseen ;  it  was  therefore  perfect 
in  the  beginning,  and  has  never  varied.  The  swallow 
built  her  nest,  the  spider  its  web,  the  bee  formed  its 
comb,  precisely  in  the  same  way  four  thousand  years  ago, 
as  they  do  now.  I  may  here  observe,  that  one  of  the 
greatest  wonders  of  instinct  is  the  mathematical  form  of 
the  honeycomb  of  the  bee,  which  has  been  proved  by 
demonstration  to  be  that  by  which  is  given  the  greatest 
possible  saving  of  time  and  labour.  The  wonders  of 
instinct  are  chiefly  to  be  observed  among  those  animals 
which  are  gregarious,  or  which  live  in  communities." 

"  Explain  that  to  me,  papa." 

"  Gregarious  animals  are  those  which  live  in  flocks  ;  for 
instance,  take  the  many  varieties  of  birds — the  swallow, 
the  wild  fowl,  the  sea  birds,  the  rooks,  and  the  crows. 
The  instinct  which  they  show  in  their  migrations  from  one 
part  of  the  world  to  the  other,  the  method  of  the  flight  of 
wild  fowl  so  as  to  offer  the  least  resistance  to  the  wind, 
each  bird  taking  his  station  in  the  order  of  flight  with  a 
precision  which  could  only  have  been  dictated  by  a  secret 
unerring  power :  then  again,  their  practice  of  placing 
sentinels  to  watch  when  they  sleep,  or  give  the  alarm  at 
the  approach  of  danger.  All  this  is  pure  instinct,  and 
wonderful ;  and  it  is  equally  to  be  observed  in  beasts  as  in 
birds." 

"  And  those  which  live  in  communities,  papa  ?  " 

"  Such  as  the  ant,  the  bee,  and  many  other  insects,  and 
the  beaver  among  animals.  Nothing  is  more  admirable 
than  the  precision  of  their  work,  their  means  of  communi- 
cation, and  the  exact  discharge  of  duty  in  each  individual." 


Masterman  Ready  275 

"But  that  is  all  pure  instinct,  papa;  now  you  said  that 
animals  had  reasoning  powers.  Will  you  point  out  to  me 
how  they  show  that  they  have  ? " 

"  I  will,  my  dear  boy  j  but  we  had  better  defer  it  till 
another  evening.  It  is  time  to  go  to  bed.  Caroline  is 
asleep,  and  Tommy  is  yawning." 

"  Their  instinct  and  reason  are  both  opposed  to  me, 
papa,"  replied  William,  laughing,  "  so  I  must  wait ;  but  I 
really  am  most  anxious  to  hear  what  you  have  to  tell  me 
on  the  subject." 

"  And  so  am  I,  Master  William,"  replied  Ready  ;  "  but 
I  am  not  sorry  to  have  time  to  think  about  what  Mr  Sea- 
grave  has  already  said ;  there  is  much  to  wonder  at." 

"There  always  will  be,  Ready,  when  we  examine  the 
works  of  God.     Good-night." 


Chapter  LIV 

The  following  day,  being  Sunday,  was  devoted  to  the 
usual  religious  exercises.  Tommy  stole  away  out  of  the 
tent,  while  Mr  Seagrave  was  reading  a  sermon,  to  have  a 
peep  at  the  turtle  soup,  which  was  boiling  on  the  fire ; 
however,  Juno  suspected  him,  and  had  hold  of  him  just  as 
he  was  taking  the  lid  off  the  pot.  He  was  well  scolded, 
and  very  much  frightened  lest  he  should  have  no  soup  for 
his  dinner ;  however,  as  it  was  not  a  very  heavy  offence, 
he  was  forgiven. 

In  the  evening,  William  requested  his  father  to  renew 
the  conversation  about  the  reasoning  powers  of  animals. 

"  With  pleasure,  William,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  ;  "  it 
is  a  very  fit  discourse  for  a  Sunday  evening.  Let  us, 
however,  first  examine  the  various  mental  faculties  dis- 
coverable in  animals.  In  the  first  place,  they  have  memory, 
especially  memory  of  persons  and  places,  quite  as  tenacious 
as  our  own.  A  dog  will  recognise  an  old  master  after 
many  years'  absence.     An  elephant,  who  had  again  escaped 


ij6  Masterman  Ready 

into  the  woods,  after  twenty  years  remaining  in  a  wild 
state,  recognised  his  old  mahoot,  or  driver.  A  dog  will 
find  his  way  back,  when  taken  more  than  a  hundred  miles 
from  his  master's  residence.  The  memory  of  the  parrot 
and  cockatoo  is  also  very  remarkable.  Another  proof  of 
memory  in  animals,  were  it  required,  is  that  they  dream. 
Now,  a  dream  is  a  confused  recollection  of  past  events  •, 
and  how  often  do  you  not  hear  Romulus  and  Remus 
growling,  barking,  and  whining  in  their  sleep." 

"  Very  true,  papa," 

"Well,  then,  they  have  attention.  See  how  patiently 
a  cat  will  remain  for  hours  before  a  hole,  in  watch  for  the 
mouse  to  come  out.  A  spider  will  remain  for  months 
watching  for  the  fly  to  enter  its  web  ;  but  this  quality  is 
to  be  observed  in  every  animal  in  the  pursuit  of  its  prey. 
They  have  also  association  of  ideas,  which  is,  in  fact, 
reasoning.  A  dog  proves  that ;  he  will  allow  a  gentleman 
to  come  up  to  the  door,  but  fly  at  a  beggar.  When  he  is 
in  charge  of  any  property,  he  will  take  no  notice  of  a 
passer-by  ;  but  if  a  man  stops,  he  barks  immediately.  I 
knew  a  blood-hound  who  used  to  leap  on  the  low  wall 
round  the  premises  when  he  heard  any  one  outside,  and 
walk  abreast  of  the  person  until  he  was  clear  of  the 
premises.  In  the  elephant  this  association  of  ideas  is  even 
more  remarkable ;  indeed,  he  understands  what  is  said  to 
him  better  than  any  other  animal ;  his  reasoning  powers 
are  most  extraordinary.  Promise  him  rewards,  and  he 
will  make  wonderful  exertion.  He  is  also  extremely  alive 
to  a  sense  of  shame.  The  elephants  were  employed  to 
transport  the  heavy  artillery  in  India.  One  of  the  finest 
attempted  in  vain  to  force  a  gun  through  a  swamp.  '  Take 
away  that  lazy  beast,"  said  the  director,  '  and  bring 
another."  The  animal  was  so  stung  with  the  reproach, 
that  it  used  so  much  exertion  to  force  the  gun  on  with  its 
head,  as  to  fracture  its  skull,  and  it  fell  dead.  When 
Chunee,  the  elephant  which  was  so  long  in  Exeter  Change, 
was  ordered  as  usual  to  take  up  a  sixpence  with  his  trunk, 
it  happened  one  day  that  the  sixpence  rolled  against  the 


Masterrnan  Ready  277 

skirting-board,  out  of  his  reach.  Chunee  stopped,  and 
reflected  a  little  while,  and  then,  drawing  the  air  into  his 
trunk,  he  threw  it  out  with  all  his  force  against  the 
skirting-board ;  the  rebound  of  the  air  from  the  skirting- 
board  blew  the  sixpence  towards  him,  and  he  was  enabled 
to  reach  it." 

"  That  was  very  clever  of  him,  indeed,"  replied  William. 

"  Yes,  it  was  a  proof  of  thought,  with  a  knowledge  of 
cause  and  effect,  which  latter  quality  is  also  to  be  dis- 
covered in  many  other  animals.  Animals  have  also  a 
knowledge  of  time.  I  knew  two  spaniels,  belonging  to  a 
lady,  who  always  accompanied  her  out  in  the  carriage, 
when  she  went  for  an  airing  on  the  week-days  ;  but  on 
Sundays,  when  she  went  to  church  in  the  carriage,  they 
were,  of  course,  not  taken  with  her.  These  dogs  knew 
when  Sunday  came  as  well  as  their  mistress.  If  the 
carriage  drove  up  to  the  door  on  a  week-day,  the  two  dogs 
came  bounding  out,  and,  as  soon  as  the  steps  of  the 
carriage  were  let  down,  jumped  in  immediately  ;  but  on 
Sunday  they  never  attempted  it,  remaining  quietly  looking 
on  in  the  hall.  There  was  a  curious  instance  of  a  horse, 
which,  by-the-bye,  I  consider  the  most  noble  animal  of 
creation,  which  was  ridden  round  by  his  master,  to  deliver 
newspapers.  He  invariably  stopped  at  the  doors  where 
papers  were  to  be  left ;  but  it  happened  that  two  people, 
living  at  different  houses,  took  in  a  weekly  newspaper 
between  them ;  and  it  was  agreed,  that  one  should  have 
the  first  reading  of  it  on  one  week,  and  the  other  on  the 
following.  After  a  short  time  the  horse  became  accustomed 
to  this  arrangement,  and  stopped  at  the  one  house  on  the 
one  week,  and  at  the  other  house  on  the  following,  never 
making  a  mistake." 

"  That  was  very  curious  ;  what  a  sagacious  animal  he 
must  have  been,"  observed  William. 

"  Animals  also  are,  as  you  know,  capable  of  receiving 
instruction,  which  is  another  proof  of  reasoning  powers. 
The  elephant,  the  horse,  the  dog,  the  pig,  even  birds  may 
be  taught  a  great  deal  ;  canary  birds,  for  instance,  have 


278  Masterman  Ready- 

been  exhibited  who  fire  off  cannon,  pretend  to  be  dead,  and 
play  a  variety  of  tricks." 

"  But  then,  papa,  I  still  wish  to  know  where  the  line  is 
to  be  drawn  between  reason  and  instinct." 

"  I  was  about  to  come  to  that  very  point,  William. 
When  animals  follow  their  instinct  in  providing  their  food, 
the  bringing  up  of  their  young,  and  their  precautions 
against  dangers,  they  follow  certain  fixed  rules,  from  which 
they  never  deviate.  But  circumstances  may  occur  against 
which  their  instinct  can  afford  them  no  regular  provision ; 
then  it  is  that  their  reasoning  powers  are  called  into  action. 
I  will  explain  this  by  stating  a  fact  relative  to  the  bee,  one 
of  the  animals  upon  which  instinct  is  most  powerful  in  its 
action.  There  is  a  certain  large  moth,  called  the  Death's- 
head  moth,  which  is  very  fond  of  honey.  It  sometimes 
contrives  to  force  its  way  through  the  aperture  of  the  hive, 
and  gain  an  entrance.  The  bees  immediately  attack  it,  and 
it  is  soon  destroyed  by  their  stings ;  but  the  carcase  is  so 
large,  that  they  cannot  carry  it  out  of  the  hive,  as  they 
invariably  do  the  bodies  of  the  smaller  insects  which  may 
have  intruded,  and  it  appears  that  their  sense  of  smell  is 
very  acute.  What,  then,  do  they  do  to  avoid  the  stench 
arising  from  the  dead  body  of  this  large  moth  ?  Why, 
they  embalm  it,  covering  it  entirely  with  wax,  by  which  it 
no  longer  becomes  offensive  to  them." 

"  But,  papa,  might  not  their  instinct  have  provided  for 
such  an  event  ? "  observed  William. 

"  If  such  an  event  could  have  occurred  to  the  bees  in 
their  wild  state,  you  certainly  might  have  raised  the 
question  ;  but  recollect,  William,  that  bees  in  their  wild 
state  live  in  the  hollows  of  trees,  and  that  the  hole  by 
which  they  enter  is  never  more  than  sufficiently  large  to 
admit  one  bee  at  a  time  ;  consequently,  no  animal  larger 
than  a  bee  could  gain  entrance,  and  if  it  did,  could  of 
course  have  been  easily  removed  from  the  hive  ;  but  the  bees 
were  here  in  a  new  position,  in  an  artificial  state,  in  a  hive 
of  straw  with  a  large  aperture,  and  therefore  met  with  an 
exigence  they  were  not  prepared  for,  and  acted  accordingly." 


Masterman  Ready  279 

"  Yes,  papa,  I  perceive  the  difference." 

"  Again,  a  tame  elephant  in  India  fell  into  a  deep  tank. 
It  was  impossible  to  hoist  him  out,  and  he  must  therefore 
have  perished  there ;  but  his  driver,  knowing  how  in- 
telligent the  animal  was,  advised  that  a  quantity  of  large 
faggots  should  be  tied  up  and  thrown  down  to  the  elephant. 
The  animal  perfectly  well  understood  what  he  was  to  do. 
He  laid  one  tier  of  faggots  and  stood  upon  them,  and  as 
they  continued  to  throw  the  faggots  down,  so  did  he 
continue  to  pile  them  up  tier  upon  tier,  standing  upon 
them  till  they  were  high  enough  for  him  to  walk  out  of 
the  tank.  Now  here  you  perceive  that  there  was  an 
exigence  wholly  unprovided  for ;  an  elephant  might  fall 
into  a  tank,  but  it  was  left  to  the  animal  itself  in  this  case 
to  exercise  its  own  reasoning  powers  as  to  how  the  faggots 
thrown  down  were  to  enable  him  to  get  out  again." 

"  That  elephant  certainly  did  reason,  papa.  Why, 
many  men  would  not  have  known  what  to  do  with  the 
faggots,  if  they  had  not  been  told." 

"It  is  to  be  hoped  not  many,  my  dear  William.  I  will 
conclude  my  observations  with  one  remark.  It  appears  to 
me,  that  although  the  Almighty  has  thought  proper  to 
vary  the  intellectual  and  the  reasoning  powers  of  animals 
in  the  same  way  that  he  has  varied  the  species  and  the 
forms,  yet  even  in  this  arrangement  he  has  not  been 
unmindful  of  the  interest  and  welfare  of  man.  For  you 
will  observe,  that  the  reasoning  powers  are  chiefly,  if  not 
wholly,  given  to  those  animals  which  man  subjects  to  his 
service  and  for  his  use — the  elephant,  the  horse,  and  the 
dog  ;  thereby  making  these  animals  of  more  value,  as  the 
powers  given  to  them  are  at  the  service  and  under  the 
control  of  man." 

"  That  is  a  beautiful  wind-up,  Mr  Seagrave,  and  it's  as 
true  as  it's  beautiful,"  observed  Ready.  "  It  may  well 
be  said,  '  He  is  gracious  in  all  things.' " 


280  Masterman  Ready- 


Chapter  LV 

On  the  Monday  morning,  William  and  Ready  went  away 
in  the  boat,  as  before,  to  bring  round  the  various  articles 
from  the  cove.  It  had  been  arranged  that  they  were  not 
to  return  till  the  Saturday  evening,  and  that  the  dog 
Remus  was  to  bring  intelligence  of  them  and  their 
welfare  every  afternoon.  They  worked  hard  during  tke 
week,  and  on  Saturday  they  had  completed  their  task  j 
with  the  exception  of  a  portion  of  the  timbers  of  the 
ship,  everything  had  been  brought  round,  but  had  not 
been  carried  up  to  the  storehouse,  as  that  required  more 
time. 

On  Saturday  morning,  they  went  for  the  last  time  to 
the  cove,  and  Ready  selected  some  heavy  oak  timber  out 
of  the  quantity  which  was  lying  on  the  beach,  part  of 
which  they  put  into  the  boat,  and  the  remainder  they 
towed  astern.  It  was  a  heavy  load,  and  although  the 
wind  was  fair  to  sail  back  again  to  the  bay,  the  boat  went 
but  slowly  through  the  water. 

"  Well,  Master  William,"  said  Ready,  "  we  have  done 
a  good  week's  work,  and  I  must  say  it  is  high  time  that  it 
is  done  ;  for  the  boat  is  in  rather  a  crazy  condition,  and 
I  must  contrive  to  patch  her  up  by-and-bye,  when  there  is 
time." 

"  We  shall  not  want  to  use  her  very  much  after  this, 
Ready,"  replied  William  ;  "  a  few  trips  round  to  the  little 
harbour  will  be  all  that  will  be  required  before  we  come 
back  again  to  our  old  quarters." 

"That's  true,  Master  William;  but  she  leaks  very 
much,  and  at  all  events  I'll  give  her  a  coat  of  pitch  as 
soon  as  possible.  For  a  slight-built  little  thing  as  she  is, 
she  has  done  hard  duty." 

"  Pray,  Ready,  why,  when  you  speak  of  a  ship  or  boat, 
do  you  always  call  it  she  ?  " 

"Well,  Master  William,  I  don't  know  why,  but  it  is 


Masterman  Ready  281 

certain  that  we  sailors  always  do  so.  I  believe  it  is 
because  a  sailor  loves  his  ship.  His  ship  is  his  wife,  is  a 
very  common  saying  with  us ;  and  then  you  see,  Master 
William,  a  vessel  is  almost  a  thing  of  life  in  appearance : 
she  sits  like  a  duck  on  the  water,  and  when  it  is  calm  she 
rolls  to  and  fro  like  a  lazy  person ;  make  sail  on  her,  and 
she  flies  through  the  water  as  if  she  was  a  porpus  or  a 
dolphin  ;  press  her  with  too  much  canvas,  and  she  com- 
plains ;  and  when  buffeted  by  the  tempest,  she  groans 
like  one  who  suffers.  So  that  being  to  us  sailors  a  sort 
of  living  thing,  and  we  being  fond  of  her,  we  call  her 
she;  I  suppose,  because  a  man  gets  fonder  of  a  woman 
than  any  other  thing  that's  living.  I  believe  that's  the 
reason,  and  of  course  if  a  vessel  is  she,  a  little  boat  must 
be  a  she  also." 

"Well,  I  think  you  have  explained  it  very  well,  Ready. 
I  suppose  on  Monday  we  shall  set  to  at  the  storehouse, 
and  alter  it  for  our  future  residence  ? " 

"Can't  begin  too  soon,  Master  William,"  replied  Ready; 
"  I  don't  doubt  but  Mr  Seagrave  has  finished  the  hedge 
and  ditch  round  the  yams  by  this  time,  and  if  so,  I  expect 
that  madam  will  not  like  to  be  left  in  the  tents  alone  with 
Juno  and  the  children,  and  so  we  shall  all  move  back  to 
the  house  again  until  we  have  altered  the  storehouse ;  I 
must  say  that  I  would  rather  that  your  mamma  should 
remain  in  the  tents  until  all  was  finished." 

"  Because  you  are  afraid  of  a  visit  from  the  savages, 
Ready  ? " 

"I  am,  sir,  and  that's  the  truth." 

"  But,  Ready,  if  they  do  come,  we  shall  see  them  com- 
ing, and  would  it  not  be  better  that  we  should  all  be 
together,  even  if  we  are  obliged  to  conceal  ourselves  in 
consequence  of  not  being  prepared  ?  Suppose  the  savages 
were  to  overrun  the  island,  and  find  my  mother,  my  little 
brother  and  sister  defenceless,  at  the  time  we  were  obliged 
to  retreat  from  our  house  ;  how  dreadful  that  would  be  ! " 

"  But,  Master  William,  I  counted  upon  retreating  to 
the  tents." 


282  Masterman  Ready 

"So  we  can  altogether,  Ready,  unless  we  are  surprised 
in  the  night." 

"  That  we  must  take  care  not  to  be.  There's  not  three 
hours'  dark  in  this  season  of  the  year.  Well,  Master 
William,  I  doubt  not  you  may  be  right,  and  if  they  are  all 
with  us,  Juno  will  be  a  great  help,  and  we  shall  get 
through  our  work  the  faster." 

"  We  had  better  let  the  question  be  decided  by  my 
father  and  mother." 

"  Very  true,  Master  William ;  here's  the  point  at  last. 
We  will  haul  the  timber  on  the  beach,  and  then  be  off  as 
fast  as  we  can,  for  it  is  getting  late." 

It  was,  indeed,  much  later  than  they  had  usually  arrived 
at  the  little  harbour,  owing  to  the  heavy  load,  which  made 
the  boat  so  long  in  coming  round  from  the  cove ;  and 
when  they  pulled  in,  they  found  Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave  and 
the  children  all  down,  waiting  for  them. 

"  You  are  very  late,  William,  dear,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave. 
"  I  was  quite  uneasy  till  I  saw  the  boat  at  a  distance." 

"Yes,  mamma;  but  we  could  not  help  it;  we  had  a 
heavy  load  to  bring  round,  and  now  our  work  is  done." 

"lam  delighted  to  hear  it,  William  ;  for  I  cannot  bear 
you  being  away  so  long." 

"  And  my  work  is  done,"  said  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  the 
hedge  and  ditch  were  finished  this  morning." 

"  Well,  then,"  observed  Ready,  "  we  must  hold  another 
council,  but  I  presume  it  will  not  take  very  long." 

"  No  ;  I  expect  not ;  it  seldom  does  when  people  are  of 
the  same  mind.  Mrs  Seagrave  won't  be  left  here,  Ready, 
and  I  don't  want  to  leave  her,  so  I  presume  on  Monday  we 
all  start  home  again." 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  if  you  please,"  replied  Ready. 

"  Juno,  I  hope  you  have  a  good  supper,"  said  William ; 
"  for  I'm  very  hungry." 

"Yes,  Massa  William;  plenty  fried  fish;  Massa  catch 
'em  this  morning." 

"  I  like  turtle  soup,"  said  Tommy. 

u  I  believe  you  like  everything,  Master  Tommy,"  replied 


Masterman  Ready  283 

Ready,  "  except  castor  oil  beans.  You  won't  eat  any 
more  of  them." 

"  No,  that  I  won't ;  but  I'll  eat  the  bananas  when  they 
are  ripe." 

"  You  would  have  eaten  them  before  if  you  could  have 
reached  them,  I  think  ;  but  you  must  grow  a  little  taller 
first." 

"  I  shall  be  a  man  by-and-bye,"  said  Tommy. 

"I  hope  you  will,  and  a  good  man,  too,"  replied  old 
Ready ;  "but  now  I  must  help  Juno  in  getting  the  supper 
under  way." 

Chapter  LVI 

The  next  day  being  Sunday  was  a  day  of  repose,  and  as 
they  had  all  worked  so  hard,  they  felt  the  luxury  of  a  day 
of  rest.  In  the  afternoon,  they  agreed  that  on  Monday 
they  should  make  every  preparation  for  quitting  the  tents, 
and  returning  to  the  house  at  the  bay.  They  decided  that 
the  live  stock  should  all  be  left  there,  as  the  pasturage  was 
so  plentiful  and  good,  with  the  exception  of  one  goat, 
which  they  would  take  back  with  them,  to  supply  them 
with  milk,  and  they  also  agreed  that  the  tents  should  be 
left  standing,  with  some  cooking  utensils,  that  in  case 
William  and  Ready  went  round  for  the  bananas  or  yams, 
or  to  examine  the  live  stock,  they  should  not  be  compelled 
to  sleep  in  the  open  air,  and  should  have  the  means  of 
dressing  their  dinner.  William  and  Ready  were  to  carry 
the  beds,  &c,  round  to  the  bay  in  the  boat,  which  they 
could  do  in  two  trips,  and  Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave,  with  the 
family,  were  to  walk  through  the  woods  after  taking  a 
very  early  breakfast. 

All  these  points  being  arranged,  they  had  finished  their 
supper,  when  William  again  brought  up  the  conversation 
about  animals,  as  he  was  delighted  to  hear  Mr  Seagrave 
talk  on  the  subject.  The  conversation  had  not  commenced 
more  than  a  few  minutes,  when  William  said — 


284  Masterman  Ready 

"  Papa,  they  always  say,  '  as  stupid  as  an  ass.'  Is  an 
ass  such  a  stupid  animal  ? " 

"  No,  William ;  it  is  a  very  sagacious  one ;  but  the 
character  has  been  given  to  the  animal  more  on  account  of 
its  obstinacy  and  untractableness,  than  on  any  other 
account.  It  is  usual  to  say  as  stupid  as  an  ass,  or  as 
stupid  as  a  pig,  or  a  goose.  Now,  these  three  animals  are 
very  much  maligned,  for  they  are  all  sagacious  animals. 
But  the  fact  is,  that  as  regards  the  ass,  we  have  only  very 
sorry  specimens  of  the  animal  in  England  :  they  are  stunted 
and  small,  and,  from  want  of  corn  and  proper  food, 
besides  being  very  ill  treated,  are  slow  and  dull-looking 
animals.  The  climate  of  England  is  much  too  cold  for  the 
ass ;  in  the  south  of  France  and  the  Mediterranean,  where 
it  is  much  warmer,  the  ass  is  a  much  finer  animal ;  but  to 
see  it  in  perfection  we  must  go  to  the  Torrid  Zone  in 
Guinea,  right  on  the  equator,  the  hottest  portion  of  the 
globe,  where  the  ass  in  its  native  state  and  in  its  native 
country  is  a  handsome  creature,  and  as  fleet  as  the  wind ; 
indeed,  supposed  to  be,  and  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures  as 
the  fleetest  animal  in  creation.  Xenophon,  in  his  writings, 
says,  that  they  chased  the  wild  asses,  but  that  none  of  the 
horses  could  come  up  with  them.  The  fact  is,  that  in 
Asia,  especially  in  Palestine  and  Syria,  asses  were  in  great 
repute,  and  used  in  preference  to  horses.  We  must  see 
an  animal  in  its  own  climate,  to  form  a  true  estimate  of  its 
value." 

"  Does  climate,  then,  make  so  great  a  difference  ?"  said 
William. 

"  Of  course  it  does,  not  only  with  animals,  but  with 
trees,  plants,  and  even  man,  until  he  is  accustomed  to  the 
change.  The  lascar,  or  native  seaman  of  Indiaman,  is  full 
of  life  and  vigour  in  the  warm  and  sunny  Indian  seas,  but 
as  soon  as  he  enters  the  English  Channel,  and  blows  his 
fingers  from  the  cold,  he  becomes  inert,  useless,  and  timid ; 
in  fact,  a  miserable  creature,  and  the  ships  would  often  be 
lost,  if  it  were  not  for  the  proportion  of  English  seamen 
on  board.     With  respect  to  animals,  there  are  some  which 


Masterman  Ready  285 

can  bear  the  different  varieties  of  climate,  and  even  change 
of  food.  The  horse,  for  instance,  although  originally 
indigenous  to  Arabia,  lives  as  well  in  the  Temperate,  and 
even  in  the  Frigid  Zones  it  may  be  said,  for  they  endure 
the  hard  winters  of  Russia  and  North  America;  so  will 
domestic  cattle,  such  as  cows,  sheep,  pigs,  &c.  It  is  a 
curious  fact,  that  during  the  winter  in  Canada,  a  large 
proportion  of  the  food  of  cattle  consists  of  fob" 

"  Fish  !  Papa.     Cows  eat  fish  ? " 

"  Yes,  my  dear  boy,  such  is  the  fact.  It  is  a  remarkable 
instance  of  a  graminivorous  or  grass-eating  animal  being 
changed  for  a  time  into  a  carnivorous,  or  flesh-eating,  or 
rather  into  a  piscivorous,  or  fish-eating  animal.  Those  are 
hard  words,  William,  derived  from  the  Latin,  and  I  there- 
fore explain  them.  But  there  are  other  animals,  which 
can  live  under  any  temperature,  as  the  wolf,  the  fox,  the 
hare,  and  rabbit.  It  is  a  curious  provision, — evidently 
showing  that  it  was  intended  they  should  propagate  in  all 
climates, — that  the  sheep  and  goats  in  the  hottest  climates 
throw  off  their  warm  covering  of  wool,  and  retain  little 
better  than  hair ;  while  removed  to  a  cold  climate,  they 
recover  their  warm  covering  immediately." 

"  But  a  goat  has  no  wool,  papa." 

"  What  are  Cashmere  shawls  made  of,  William  ? " 

"Very  true,  papa." 

"  Most  animals  have  a  certain  increase  of  covering,  as 
they  recede  further  from  the  warm  climates  to  the  cold 
ones.  Wolves  and  foxes,  hares  and  rabbits,  change  the 
colour  of  their  skins  to  white,  when  they  get  far  north. 
The  little  English  stoat,  which  is  destroyed  by  the  game- 
keepers, and  nailed  up  against  the  barn,  becomes  the 
beautiful  snow-white  ermine  in  Russia  and  other  cold 
countries. 

"  Well,  papa,  I  think  it  a  great  advantage  to  man,  and 
a  proof  of  the  Almighty's  care  of  him,  and  kindness  to 
him,  in  permitting  all  the  animals  most  useful  to  him 
to  be  able  to  live  in  any  country ;  but,  I  don't  know 
whether  I  am   wrong  in   saying   so,   papa,   I  cannot   see 


286  Masterman  Ready- 

why  an  animal  like  the  wolf  should  not  have  been  kept 
to  his  own  climate,  like  the  lion  and  tiger,  and  other 
ferocious  animals." 

"  You  have  started  a  question,  William,  which  I  am 
glad  you  have  done,  rather  than  it  should  have  remained 
on  your  mind,  and  have  puzzled  you.  It  is  true  that 
the  shepherd  might  agree  with  you,  that  the  wolf  is 
a  nuisance ;  equally  true  that  the  husbandman  may 
exclaim,  What  is  the  good  of  thistles,  and  the  various 
weeds  which  choke  the  soil  ?  But,  my  dear  boy,  if  they 
are  not,  which  I  think  they  are,  for  the  benefit  of  man, 
at  all  events  they  are  his  doom,  for  the  first  transgression. 
'  Cursed  is  the  ground  for  thy  sake — thorns  and  thistles 
shall  it  bring  forth  to  thee — and  by  the  sweat  of  thy 
brow  shalt  thou  eat  bread,'  was  the  Almighty's  sentence; 
and  it  is  only  by  labour  that  the  husbandman  can  obtain 
his  crops,  and  by  watchfulness  that  the  shepherd  can 
guard  his  flocks.  If  it  were  otherwise,  the  seed  might 
be  sown  and  the  sheep  led  to  pasture,  and  after  that 
the  husbandman  and  shepherd  might  both  sleep.  Labour, 
however,  is  in  itself  a  benefit ;  without  exercise  there 
would  be  no  health,  and  without  health  there  would 
be  no  enjoyment." 

"  I  see  now,  papa,  and  I  thank  you  for  the  explanation. 
You  have  mentioned  the  animals  which  can  live  in  all 
climates,  will  you  not  tell  us  something  about  other 
animals  ? " 

"  There  is  but  one  remark  to  make,  William,  which 
is,  that  animals  indigenous  to,  that  is,  originally  to  be 
found  in,  any  one  portion  of  the  globe,  invariably  are 
so  fashioned  as  to  be  most  fit  for  that  country,  and  have 
the  food  also  most  proper  for  them  growing  or  to  be 
obtained  in  that  country.  Take,  for  instance,  the  camel, 
an  animal  fashioned  expressly  for  the  country  to  which 
he  is  indigenous,  and  without  whose  aid  all  communication 
must  have  been  stopped  between  Asia  and  Africa.  He 
is  called  '  the  Ship  of  the  Desert ; '  for  the  desert  is  a 
'  sea  of  sand.'     His    feet  are   so  fashioned,   that  he  can 


Masterman  Ready  287 

traverse  the  sands  with  facility ;  he  can  live  upon  the 
coarsest  vegetable  food  and  salt  plants  which  are  found 
there,  and  he  has  the  capacity  of  carrying  water  in  a 
sort  of  secondary  stomach,  for  his  own  supply,  where 
no  water  is  to  be  found.  Here  is  an  animal  wonderfully 
made  by  the  Almighty  for  an  express  locality,  and  for 
the  convenience  of  man  in  that  country ;  for,  in  England, 
or  elsewhere,  he  would  be  of  no  value." 

"There  are  many  animals,  papa,  which  are  of  no  use 
to  man." 

"  Many,  my  dear  boy,  which  are  apparently  so,  and 
many  which  are  destructive  to  him ;  but  that  is  a  portion 
of  our  sentence,  and  we  are  permitted  to  extirpate  and 
destroy  them  when  they  endanger  or  incommode  us, — 
as  we  do  the  thistle  in  the  field.  But  if  they  are  of  no 
use  to  us,  they  add  to  the  variety  and  beauty  of  nature, 
and  show  the  immensity  of  the  Creator.  You  saw  the 
giraffe  before  you  left  England.  Now  that  animal  is 
most  peculiarly  formed.  It  lives  in  its  native  Africa 
upon  the  leaves  and  branches  of  the  mimosa  tree,  and 
if  it  had  not  such  a  long  neck  and  such  height  of  shoulder, 
it  would  not  be  able  to  reach  its  food.  The  mimosa  tree 
is  not  fed  upon  by  any  other  animal,  so  it  would  appear 
as  if  this  animal  were  fashioned  on  purpose  to  live  upon 
that  tree.  But  the  animal  and  the  tree  both  add  to  the 
variety  and  to  the  beauty  of  nature,  and  occupy  a  portion 
of  territory  at  present  not  required  by  man.  The 
Almighty  has  filled  the  earth  with  living  things ;  as 
long  as  they  do  not  interfere  with  man,  they  enjoy 
their  portion  of  it  in  peace  and  quiet.  As  soon  as  man 
requires  the  territory,  as  they  were  made  for  his  use 
and  to  be  subservient  to  him,  they  must  retrograde  away 
from  him,  or  be  destroyed  by  him.  Such  is  the  will 
of  a  great  and  beneficent  Creator.  But  it  is  late,  my 
dear  "William,  so  we  will  first  thank  him  for  all  his 
mercies,  and  then  to  bed." 


288  Masterman  Ready- 


Chapter   LVII 

The  next  morning  was  one  of  bustle  ;  there  was  packing 
up  and  every  preparation  for  departure.  Juno  was  called 
here  and  called  there,  and  was  obliged  to  ask  little  Caroline 
to  look  after  the  kettle  and  call  to  her  if  it  boiled  oven 
Master  Tommy,  as  usual,  was  in  every  one's  way,  and 
doing  more  harm  than  good  in  his  attempts  to  assist  ;  but, 
however,  as  he  meant  well,  nobody  scolded  him. 

At  last,  Ready,  to  get  rid  of  him,  sent  him  down  with 
a  large  bundle  to  the  beach.  Tommy  shouldered  it  with 
great  importance,  but  when  he  came  back  looking  rather 
warm  with  the  exertion,  and  Ready  asked  him  to  take 
down  another,  he  said  he  was  too  tired,  and  sat  down  very 
quietly  till  breakfast-time,  before  which  everything  was 
ready. 

Mrs  Seagrave  and  Juno  packed  up  the  breakfast  and 
dinner-things  in  a  basket  after  breakfast  was  over,  and 
then  Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave  and  the  family  set  off  on  their 
journey,  accompanied  by  the  dogs,  through  the  cocoa-nut 
grove.  Little  Albert  could  now  walk  very  well,  and  only 
required  to  be  occasionally  carried  by  Juno,  who  led  him 
by  the  hand.  Caroline  walked  by  her  papa  and  mamma, 
and  Master  Tommy  was  too  independent  to  walk  with  any 
one. 

William  and  Ready  lost  no  time  in  getting  through  their 
work ;  the  crockery,  kitchen  utensils,  table  and  chairs, 
were  the  first  articles  put  into  the  boat.  The  goat  was 
then  led  down,  and  they  set  off  with  a  full  load,  and 
arrived  at  the  bay  long  before  the  party  who  were  walk- 
ing through  the  wood.  They  landed  the  things  on  the 
beach,  and  then  shoved  off  again  to  bring  round  the 
bedding,  which  was  all  that  was  left.  By  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  they  had  arrived  at  the  bay  with  their 
second  and  last  load,  and  found  that  the  other  party  had 


Masterman  Ready  289 

been  there  about  an  hour,  and  Mr  Seagrave  and  Juno  were 
very  busy  taking  the  articles  up  from  the  beach. 

"Well,  Master  William,"  said  Ready,  "this  is  our  last 
trip  for  some  time,  I  expect,  and  so  much  the  better,  for 
our  little  boat  must  have  something  done  to  her  as  soon  as 
I  can  find  time." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  Ready,  she  has  done  her  work  well. 
Do  you  know  I  feel  as  if  I  were  coming  home,  now  that 
we  are  back  to  the  bay.  I  little  thought  that  I  ever  should 
consider  any  part  of  this  island  as  my  home.  I  really  feel 
quite  glad  that  we  have  left  the  tents.  I  found  the  pigeons 
among  the  peas,  Ready,  so  we  must  pick  them  as  soon  as 
we  can.  They  have  increased  very  much ;  I  think  there 
were  near  twenty  of  them." 

"We  shall  have  pigeon-pies  next  year,  I  expect,"  con- 
tinued William. 

"If  it  pleases  God  that  we  live  and  do  well,"  replied 
Ready,  who  had  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  sea. 

Before  night,  everything  was  in  its  place  again  in  the 
house,  and  as  comfortable  as  before,  and  as  they  were 
very  tired,  they  went  very  early  to  bed ;  having  first 
arranged  what  they  should  do  in  the  morning.  Mrs  Sea- 
grave  said  that  she  could  attend  to  the  cookery  and  the 
children,  and  that  Juno  was  at  their  service,  if  they  re- 
quired her.  At  daylight  Ready  and  William  went  down 
to  the  turtle  pond  and  speared  a  turtle,  for  now  the  time 
was  coming  on  for  turning  the  turtle  again,  and  the  pond 
would  soon  be  filled.  Having  cut  it  up  and  put  a  portion 
of  it  into  the  pot,  all  ready  for  Mrs  Seagrave,  as  soon  as 
breakfast  was  over,  they  proceeded  to  the  storehouse  in 
the  grove. 

After  a  little  consultation  with  Mr  Seagrave,  Ready 
marked  out  a  square  of  cocoa-nut  trees  surrounding  the 
storehouse,  so  as  to  leave  a  space  within  them  of  about 
twenty  yards  each  side,  which  they  considered  large 
enough  for  the  enclosure.  These  cocoa-nut  trees  were 
to  serve  as  the  posts  between  which  were  to  be  fixed 
other  cocoa-nut  trees  cut  down,  and  about  fourteen  feet 

R  T 


290  Masterman  Ready- 

high,  so  as  to  form  a  palisade  or  stockade,  which  could  not 
be  climbed  over,  and  would  protect  them  from  any  attack 
of  the  savages. 

As  soon  as  the  line  of  trees  had  been  marked  out,  they 
set  to  work  cutting  down  all  the  trees  within  the  line,  and 
then  outside  to  a  distance  of  ten  yards,  so  as  to  give  them 
room  for  their  work.  Ready  cut  out  cross  pieces,  to  nail 
from  tree  to  tree,  and  now  they  found  the  advantage  of 
having  saved  so  many  of  the  large  spike  nails,  without 
which  they  never  could  have  made  so  good  or  so  quick 
a  job  of  it.  Mr  Seagrave  cut  down  trees,  William  and 
Juno  sawed  them  off  at  a  proper  length  with  one  of  the 
cross-cut  saws,  and  then  carried  them  to  Ready.  They 
soon  had  more  cut  out  than  he  could  use,  and  then  they 
dragged  away  the  tops  and  branches,  and  piled  them  at  a 
distance  on  the  ground,  to  use  as  winter  fuel,  while  Mr 
Seagrave  helped  Ready  in  fixing  up  the  palisades.  They 
worked  very  hard  that  day,  and  were  not  sorry  to  go  to 
bed.  Ready,  however,  took  an  opportunity  to  speak  to 
William. 

"  I  think,  sir,"  said  he,  "  that  now  we  are  here  again, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  keep  a  sort  of  night-watch,  in  case 
of  accident.  I  shall  not  go  to  bed  till  it  is  quite  dark, 
which  it  will  be  by  nine  o'clock,  and  shall  have  my  glass 
to  examine  the  offing  the  last  thing.  You  see,  sir,  there 
is  little  fear  of  the  savages  coming  here  in  the  night-time, 
but  they  may  just  before  night  or  very  early  in  the 
morning,  so  one  of  us  must  be  up  again  before  daybreak, 
that  is  between  two  and  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
to  see  if  there  is  anything  to  be  seen  of  them ;  if  there 
is  not,  of  course  we  may  go  to  bed  again,  as  they 
cannot  arrive  till  many  hours  afterwards  ;  and  we  must 
watch  the  wind  and  weather,  if  it  is  favourable  for  them 
to  come  to  us,  which,  indeed,  the  wind  will  not  be  except 
at  the  commencement  of  the  rainy  season  ;  but  it  may 
be  very  light,  and  then  they  would  not  care  for  its  being 
against  them.  I've  been  thinking  of  it,  Master  William, 
a  great  deal,  and  my  idea  is,  that  it  will  be  at  the  beginning 


Masterman  Ready  291 

of  the  rainy  season  that  we  shall  have  a  visit,  if  we  have 
one  at  all ;  for  you  see  that  the  wind  don't  blow  regular 
from  one  quarter,  as  it  does  now,  but  is  variable,  and 
then  they  can  make  sail  in  their  canoes,  and  come  here 
easily,  instead  of  pulling  between  thirty  and  forty  miles, 
which  is  hard  work  against  wind  and  current.  Still, 
Master  William,  we  must  not  be  careless,  and  we  must 
keep  a  good  look-out  even  now.  I  don't  want  to  fret 
your  father  and  Mrs  Seagrave  with  my  fears  on  the 
subject,  but  I  tell  you  what  I  really  think,  and  what  we 
ought  to  do." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  Ready,  and  I  will  take  care  to  be 
up  before  daybreak,  and  examine  very  carefully  with 
the  spy-glass  as  soon  as  the  day  dawns.  You  take  the 
night  part,  and  I  will  do  the  morning  part  of  the 
watching." 

"Very  well,  Master  William;  for  the  matter  of  that, 
I  could  do  both  myself,  but  I  think  if  you  were  to  get 
up  in  the  morning,  they  would  not  notice  it  so  much ; 
as  for  my  staying  out  at  night,  that  they  are  accustomed 
to." 

After  this  conversation,  they  separated,  and  from  that 
time  forward  William  and  Ready  were  continually  on 
the  look-out,  from  dawn  of  day  till  it  was  too  dark  to 
distinguish  anything. 


Chapter  LVIII 

For  nearly  a  fortnight,  the  work  upon  the  stockade  con- 
tinued without  any  intermission,  when  a  circumstance 
occurred  which  created  the  greatest  alarm  and  excitement. 
One  day,  as  the  party  returned  to  dinner,  Mrs  Seagrave 
said  with  surprise,  "  Why,  was  not  Tommy  with  you  ? " 

"No,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave-,  "  he  has  not  been  near 
us  all  day  ;  he  went  with  us  after  breakfast,  but  did  not 
remain  a  quarter  of  an  hour." 


292  Masterman  Ready 

"  No,  Missy  ;  I  tell  Massa  Tommy  to  help  carry  cocoa- 
nut  leaves,  and  then  he  go  away  directly." 

"  Goodness !  where  can  he  be  ? "  exclaimed  Mrs 
Seagrave,  alarmed. 

"  I  dare  say  he  is  picking  up  shells  on  the  beach, 
ma'am,"  replied  Ready,  "  or  perhaps  he  is  in  the  garden. 
I  will  go  and  see." 

"I  will  go  with  you,  Ready,"  said  William. 

"  I  see  him — oh,  mercy  ! — I  see  him,"  said  Juno,  point- 
ing with  her  finger ;  "  he  in  the  boat,  and  boat  go  to 
sea." 

It  was  but  too  true  :  there  was  Tommy  in  the  boat, 
and  the  boat  had  drifted  from  the  beach,  and  was  now 
a  cable's  length  away  from  it,  among  the  breakers  of 
the  reef. 

"William  ran  off  like  the  wind,  followed  close  by  Mr 
Seagrave  and  Ready,  and  at  a  distance  by  Mrs  Seagrave 
and  Juno,  the  former  dreadfully  alarmed  ;  indeed,  there 
was  no  time  to  be  lost,  for  the  wind  was  off  the  shore, 
and  in  a  short  time  the  boat  would  have  been  out  to 
sea. 

William,  as  soon  as  he  arrived  at  the  beach,  threw  off 
his  hat  and  jacket,  and  dashed  into  the  water.  He  was 
already  up  to  his  middle,  when  old  Ready,  who  had 
followed  him,  caught  him  by  the  arm,  and  said — 

"  Master  William,  go  back  immediately.  I  insist  upon 
it.  Your  going  can  do  no  good,  as  you  do  not  under- 
stand the  thing  so  well  as  I  do ;  and  go  I  will,  so  there 
will  be  double  risk  for  nothing.  Mr  Seagrave,  order  him 
back.     He  will  obey  you.     I  insist  upon  it,  sir." 

"William,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  "come  back  immediately, 
I  command  you." 

William  obeyed  ;  but,  before  he  was  clear  of  the  water, 
old  Ready  had  swam  across  to  the  first  rocks  on  the  reef, 
and  was  now  dashing  through  the  pools  between  the 
rocks,  towards  the  boat. 

"Oh!  father,"  said  William,  "if  that  good  old  man  is 
lost,  I  shall  never  forgive  myself.     I  almost  feel  as  if  I  did 


Masterman  Ready  293 

wrong  to  obey  you.  Look,  father,  one — two — three 
sharks,  here,  close  to  us.  He  has  no  chance.  See,  he  is 
again  in  deep  water.  God  protect  him  ! — O  God  !  hear 
my  prayer." 

In  the  meantime,  Mr  Seagrave,  whose  wife  was  now  by 
his  side,  and  who  was  shuddering  at  the  scene,  after 
glancing  his  eye  a  moment  at  the  sharks,  which  were 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  beach,  had  kept  his  gaze  steadily 
upon  Ready's  movements.  If  he  passed  through  the 
passage  of  deep  water  between  the  rocks,  he  might  be 
considered  safe,  as  the  boat  was  now  beating  on  a  reef  on 
the  other  side,  where  the  water  was  shallow.  It  was  a 
moment  of  intense  anxiety.  At  last  Ready  had  gained  the 
reef,  and  had  his  hands  upon  the  rocks,  and  was  climbing 
on  them. 

"He  is  safe,  is  he  not?"  whispered  Mrs  Seagrave 
faintly. 

"  Yes ;  now  I  think  he  is,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave,  as 
Ready  had  gained  a  footing  on  the  rocks,  where  the  water 
was  but  a  little  above  his  ankles.  "  I  think  there  is  no 
deep  water  between  him  and  the  boat." 

In  another  minute  Ready  was  over  the  rocks,  and  had 
seized  the  gunnel  of  the  boat. 

"  He  is  in  the  boat,"  cried  William.     "  Thank  God  !  " 

"  Yes  ;  we  must  thank  God,  and  that  fervently,"  replied 
Mr  Seagrave.  "  Look  at  those  monsters,"  continued  he, 
pointing  to  the  sharks  ;  "  how  quick  they  swim  to  and  fro  : 
they  have  scented  their  prey  on  the  water.  William,  it  is 
fortunate  they  are  here :  they  might  have  been  out  there, 
when  Ready  passed  through  the  deep  water." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  papa.  See,  he  has  the  boat-hook,  and  is 
pushing  the  boat  off  the  reef  into  the  deep  water.  Oh  ! 
he  is  quite  safe  now." 

Such,  however,  was  not  the  case.  The  boat  had  been 
beating  on  the  rocks  of  the  reef,  and  had  knocked  a  hole 
in  her  bottom,  and  as  soon  as  Ready  had  forced  the  boat 
into  deep  water,  she  began  to  fill  immediately.  Ready 
pushed   as    hard   as    he   could  with    the   boat-hook,   and 


294  Masterman  Ready 

tearing  off  his  neckcloth,  forced  as  much  as  he  could  of  it 
into  the  hole.  This  saved  them ;  but  the  boat  was  up  to 
the  thwarts  with  water,  and  the  least  motion  on  the  part 
of  Ready,  or  even  Tommy,  would  have  upset  her  immedi- 
ately, and  they  had  still  to  pass  the  deep  water  between 
the  reef  and  the  beach,  where  the  sharks  were  swimming. 
Ready,  who  perceived  his  danger,  called  out  to  them  to 
throw  large  stones  at  the  sharks  as  fast  as  they  could,  to 
drive  them  away.  This  was  immediately  done  by  Mr 
Seagrave  and  William,  aided  by  Juno  and  Mrs  Seagrave, 
who  found  courage  in  this  present  instance. 

The  pelting  of  the  stones  had  the  desired  effect.  The 
sharks  swam  away,  and  Ready  passed  through  to  the 
beach,  and  the  boat  grounded  just  as  she  was  up  to  the 
gunnel  in  water,  and  about  to  turn  over.  He  handed  out 
Master  Tommy,  who  was  so  dreadfully  frightened,  that 
he  could  not  cry,  but  remained  as  pale  as  a  sheet,  and  his 
mouth  and  eyes  wide  open. 

As  soon  as  Ready  landed,  William  sprung  into  his  arms, 
crying,  "  Thank  God,  you  are  safe,  Ready."  Mr  and  Mrs 
Seagrave  each  took  his  hand,  and  shook  it  heartily.  At 
last,  Mrs  Seagrave,  overpowered  by  her  feelings,  sank  her 
head  upon  William's  shoulder,  and  burst  into  tears.  Juno, 
after  smiling  at  Ready,  took  Tommy  by  the  hand,  and  led 
him  away,  saying,  "  Come  along,  you  nasty,  naughty  boy. 
You  get  fine  whipping  to-night,  soon  as  all  the  work  is 
over."  Whereupon  Tommy  set  up  a  miserable  howling, 
which  he  never  left  off  until  long  after  he  was  in  the 
house. 

"  It  was  touch  and  go,  Master  William,"  observed 
Ready,  as  they  walked  up  to  the  house,  preceded  by  Mr 
and  Mrs  Seagrave.  "  How  much  mischief  may  be  created 
by  a  thoughtless  boy  !  However,  one  can't  put  old  heads 
on  young  shoulders,  and  so  Master  Tommy  must  be  for- 
given." 

"  He  has  been  punished  enough,  as  far  as  fright  goes," 
replied  William  ;  "  I'll  answer  for  it,  he'll  never  get  into 
the  boat  again  by  himself." 


Masterman  Ready  295 

"  No,  I  think  not ;  but  now,  Master  William,  you  saw 
how  nearly  I  was  swamped  in  the  boat  ;  indeed,  it  was 
only  by  His  mercy  that  I  was  preserved ;  but  taking  the 
question  merely  as  far  as  our  endeavours  could  help 
us,  do  you  think  that  if  you  had  gained  the  boat  instead 
of  me,  you  would  have  brought  her  to  the  beach  as  I 
did  ?  " 

"  No,  Ready ;  for  I  never  should  have  thought  of 
taking  off  my  neckcloth  to  put  into  the  hole,  I'm  afraid  ; 
but  even  if  I  had,  I  never  could  have  managed  her  so 
skilfully  as  you  did,  and  therefore  I  must  have  been 
swamped  before  I  got  on  shore." 

"  Well,  Master  William,  as  I  am  an  old  sailor  and  you 
are  not,  therefore  it  is  not  vanity  which  makes  me  say  that 
you  could  not  have  managed  the  boat  so  well  as  I  did. 
Now,  as  I  had  not  three  or  four  seconds  to  spare,  you, 
as  you  say,  must  have  been  swamped.  I  mention  this  to 
prove  to  you  that  I  was  right  in  desiring  your  father  to 
order  you  back." 

"  Certainly,  Ready  ;  but  Tommy  is  my  brother,  and  I 
felt  that  it  was  more  my  duty  than  yours  to  risk  my  life 
for  him." 

"  A  very  proper  feeling,  Master  William,  but  you  have 
other  duties,  which  are,  to  look  after  your  father  and 
mother,  and  be  a  comfort  and  solace  to  them.  Your  life 
is  more  valuable  than  mine.  I  am  an  old  man  on  the  brink 
of  the  grave,  and  a  year  or  two  makes  no  difference  ;  but 
your  life  is,  I  hope,  of  more  consequence.  What  would 
have  been  the  agony  and  distress,  and,  I  may  say,  continual 
source  of  future  regret  to  your  parents,  had  you  perished 
before  their  eyes  by  so  horrible  a  death  !  They  never 
would  have  smiled  again." 

"  And  do  you  not  think  that  their  regret  would  have 
been  as  great,  if  you  had  perished  in  the  same  way  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  but  that  at  first  it  would  have  been  very 
painful  to  them,  but  time  would  have  made  them  forget 
it,  and  poor  Tommy,  too,  would  have  been  a  source  of 
deep  sorrow  ;  but  to  lose  two  sons,  and  their  eldest  now 


2g6  Masterman  Ready- 

grown  up,  you  may  say,  it  would  have  been  hard,  very 
hard  to  bear,  and  nothing  but  the  sincere  religion  of  your 
parents  could  have  brought  them  to  submit  with  resigna- 
tion. But  here  we  are  at  the  house,  so  let  us  say  no  more 
about  it." 

That  evening  the  prayers  were  more  than  usually 
solemn,  and  the  thanksgivings  more  heartfelt  and  sincere. 
Exhausted  with  the  exciting  scene  of  the  day,  they  all 
retired  early  to  bed. 


Chapter  LIX 

When  Tommy  was  questioned  on  the  following  morning 
as  to  his  inducement  to  get  into  the  boat,  to  their  great 
surprise  he  replied,  that  he  wanted  to  go  round  to  the 
tents  again,  to  see  if  the  bananas  were  ripe ;  that  he 
intended  to  eat  some  of  them  and  be  back  before  dinner- 
time, that  he  might  not  be  found  out. 

"  I  suspect,  Master  Tommy,  you  would  have  been  very 
hungry  before  you  ate  any  bananas  if  we  had  not  perceived 
you,"  said  Ready. 

"  I  won't  go  into  the  boat  any  more,"  said  Tommy. 

* '  I  rather  think  you  will  keep  to  that  resolution, 
Tommy,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  however,  I  must  leave 
your  mother  to  point  out  to  you  the  danger  you  were  in 
yourself,  and  in  which  you  placed  others  by  your  folly. 
It  is  time  for  us  to  go  to  work." 

The  stockade  was  now  almost  finished ;  the  door  was 
the  occasion  of  a  good  deal  of  consultation  ;  at  last,  it  was 
agreed  that  it  would  be  better  to  have  a  door  of  stout  oak 
plank,  but  with  second  door-posts  inside,  about  a  foot 
apart  from  the  door,  between  which  could  be  inserted 
short  poles  one  above  the  other,  so  as  to  barricade  it  within 
when  required.  This  would  make  the  door  as  strong  as 
any  other  portion  of  the  stockade.  As  soon  as  this  was  all 
complete,  the  storehouse  was  to  be  altered  for  a  dwelling- 


Masterman  Ready  297 

house,  by  taking  away  the  wattles  of  cocoa-nut  boughs  on 
the  sides,  and  filling  them  up  with  logs  of  cocoa-nut  trees. 

Before  the  week  was  ended,  the  stockade  and  door  were 
complete,  and  they  now  began  to  fell  trees,  to  form  the 
sides  of  the  house.  This  was  rapid  work ;  and  while  Mr 
Seagrave,  William,  and  Juno  felled  the  trees,  and  brought 
them  on  the  wheels  to  the  side  of  the  stockade,  all  ready 
cut  to  their  proper  lengths,  Ready  was  employed  in  floor- 
ing the  house  with  a  part  of  the  deal  planks  which  they 
had  brought  round  from  the  cove.  But  this  week  they 
were  obliged  to  break  off  for  two  days,  to  collect  all  their 
crops  from  the  garden ;  as  soon  as  this  was  done,  they 
again  set  to  work. 

A  fortnight  more  passed  away  in  continual  hard  work, 
but  the  house  was  at  last  finished,  and  very  complete, 
compared  to  the  one  they  were  residing  in.  It  was  much 
larger,  and  divided  into  three  rooms  by  the  deal  planking : 
the  middle  room  which  the  door  opened  into  was  the 
sitting  and  eating-room,  with  a  window  behind ;  the  two 
side  rooms  were  sleeping-rooms,  one  for  Mrs  Seagrave  and 
the  children,  and  the  other  for  the  male  portion  of  the 
family.  This  made  it  much  more  comfortable  and  com- 
plete. 

"  See,  Master  William,"  said  Ready,  when  they  were 
alone,  "what  we  have  been  able  to  do  by  means  of  those 
deal  planks ;  why,  to  have  floored  this  house,  and  run  up 
the  partitions,  would  have  taken  us  half  a  year,  if  we  had 
had  to  saw  the  wood." 

"  Yes  ;  and  what  a  comfort  it  is  to  have  so  many  shelves 
about.     When  shall  we  shift  into  this  house  ?  " 

"The  sooner  the  better,  Master  William.  We  have 
plenty  of  work  still  to  do,  but  we  can  work  outside  of  the 
stockade." 

"  And  what  do  you  propose  to  do  with  the  old  house  ?  " 
said  William. 

"We  had  better  put  some  of  our  stores  of  least  value 
in  it  for  the  present,  until  we  can  fit  up  another  storehouse 
inside  the  stockade." 


298  Masterman  Ready 

"Then  we'll  put  those  casks  in,  for  they  take  up  a  great 
deal  of  room." 

"  All  but  that  large  one,  Master  William ;  we  shall 
want  that ;  I  shall  fix  it  up  in  a  corner." 

"What  for,  Ready?" 

"To  put  water  in,  Master  William." 

"But  we  are  closer  to  the  spring  than  we  were  at  the 
other  house." 

"  I  know  that ;  but,  perhaps,  we  may  not  be  able  to  go 
out  of  the  stockade,  and  then  we  shall  want  water." 

"  I  understand,  Ready  ;  how  thoughtful  you  are." 

"If  at  my  age  I  did  not  think  a  little,  Master  William? 
it  would  be  very  odd.  You  don't  know  how  anxious  I 
am  to  see  them  all  inside  of  this  defence,  William.  I  shall 
not  be  happy  until  they  are." 

"  But  why  should  we  not  come  in,  Ready  ?  " 

"  Why,  sir,  as  there  is  still  plenty  of  work,  1  did  not  like 
to  press  the  matter,  lest  your  mamma  should  be  fidgetted, 
and  think  there  was  danger ;  but,  Master  William,  danger 
there  is  ;  I  have  a  kind  of  forewarning  of  it.  It  weighs  on 
my  mind,  and  I  can't  shake  it  off.  I  wish  you  would 
propose  that  they  should  come  in  at  once ;  the  standing 
bed-places  are  all  ready,  except  the  canvas,  and  I  shall  nail 
on  new  by  to-night." 

In  consequence  of  this  conversation,  William  proposed 
at  dinner-time  that  the  next  day  they  should  go  into  the 
new  house,  as  it  was  so  much  more  handy  to  work  there 
and  live  there  at  the  same  time.  Mr  Seagrave  was  of  the 
same  opinion,  but  Mrs  Seagrave  thought  it  better  that 
everything  should  be  tidy  first. 

"Why,  ma'am,"  said  Ready,  "the  only  way  to  get 
things  tidy  is  to  go  yourself,  and  make  them  so.  Nothing 
will  ever  be  in  its  place  unless  you  are  there  to  put  it 
in." 

"Well,  Ready,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  "since  you  are 
against  me  as  well  as  all  the  rest,  I  give  up,  and  if  you 
please  we  will  shift  over  to-morrow." 

"Indeed,  ma'am,  I  think  it  will  be  better;  this  is  the 


Masterman  Ready  299 

last  month  of  fine  weather,  and  we  shall  have  plenty  to  do. 
We  shall  get  on  much  faster  if  we  go  there." 

"Be  it  so,  Ready  ;  you  are  the  best  judge ;  to-morrow 
we  will  take  up  our  quarters  in  the  stockade." 

"  Thank  God ! "  muttered  old  Ready  very  softly. 
William  only,  who  was  next  to  him,  heard  what  he  said. 

The  next  day  was  fully  employed  in  changing  their 
residence,  and  shifting  over  the  bedding  and  utensils  ;  and 
that  night  they  slept  within  the  stockade.  Ready  had  run 
up  a  very  neat  little  out-house  of  plank,  as  a  kitchen  for 
Juno,  and  another  week  was  fully  employed  as  follows : 
the  stores  were  divided ;  those  of  least  consequence,  and 
the  salt  provisions,  flour,  and  the  garden  produce,  &c, 
were  put  into  the  old  house ;  the  casks  of  powder  and 
most  of  the  cartridges  were  also  put  there  for  security ; 
but  a  cask  of  beef,  of  pork,  and  flour,  all  the  iron-work 
and  nails,  canvas,  &c,  were  stowed  away  for  the  present 
under  the  new  house,  which  had,  when  built  as  a  store- 
house, been  raised  four  feet  from  the  ground  to  make  a 
shelter  for  the  stock.  This  was  very  spacious,  and,  of 
course,  quite  dry,  and  contained  all  they  wished  to  put  in. 
Ready  also  took  care,  by  degrees,  to  fill  the  large  water- 
butt  full  of  water,  and  had  fixed  into  the  bottom  a  spigot 
for  drawing  the  water  off. 

"Well,  Mr  Seagrave,"  said  Ready  on  the  Saturday, 
"  we  have  done  a  good  many  hard  weeks'  work  lately,  but 
this  is  the  last  of  them.  We  are  now  comfortably  settled 
in  our  new  house :  our  stores  are  all  under  cover,  and 
safe  from  the  weather,  and  so  we  may  now  take  things  a 
little  easier.  William  and  I  must  go  and  turn  some  turtle 
if  we  can,  for  the  season  is  getting  late  for  them,  and  I 
must  repair  the  boat,  so  that  we  may  take  a  trip  round  to 
examine  how  the  stock  and  yams  get  on." 

"  And  the  bananas  and  the  guavas,"  said  Tommy. 

"  Why,  we  have  quite  forgotten  all  about  them," 
observed  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  Yes,  ma'am  ;  we  have  been  so  busy,  that  it  is  no 
wonder ;  however,  there  may  be  some  left  yet,  and  I  will 


300  Masterman  Ready- 

go  round  as  soon  as  the  boat  is  able  to  swim,  and  bring  all 
I  can  find." 

"We  must  put  our  seeds  and  potatoes  in  before  the 
rainy  season,  Ready." 

"It  will  be  better,  sir,  if  we  can  find  time,  as  we  shall 
not  have  much  more  fine  weather  now  ;  at  all  events,  we 
can  get  them  in  at  intervals  when  the  weather  is  fine  ;  now 
I  shall  go  my  rounds  for  turtle.  Good-night,  ma'am — 
good-night,  sir.     Come,  Master  William." 

William  and  Ready  went  down  to  the  beach,  but  meeting 
Juno  coming  from  the  kitchen,  Ready  desired  her  to  collect 
as  much  fuel  as  she  could,  and  stack  it  up  in  a  corner 
inside  of  the  stockade,  as  it  would  be  more  handy. 

"Yes,  Massa  Ready,"  replied  Juno;  "I  understand; 
nothing  like  being  all  ready  case  of  accident." 

"  Exactly  so,  Juno,"  replied  William.     "  Good-night." 

William  and  Ready  succeeded  in  turning  six  more 
turtles  to  add  to  their  stock,  and  having  taken  a  careful 
survey  with  the  telescope,  they  came  back,  fastened  the 
door  of  the  stockade,  and  went  to  bed. 


Chapter  LX 

Another  week  passed  away,  during  which  Ready  repaired 
the  boat,  and  William  and  Mr  Seagrave  were  employed  in 
digging  up  the  garden.  It  was  also  a  very  busy  week  at 
the  house,  as  they  had  not  washed  linen  for  some  time.  Mrs 
Seagrave  and  Juno,  and  even  little  Caroline,  were  hard  at 
work,  and  Master  Tommy  was  more  useful  than  ever  he  had 
been,  going  for  the  water  as  they  required  it,  and  watching 
little  Albert.  Indeed,  he  was  so  active,  that  Mrs  Seagrave 
praised  him  before  his  papa,  and  Master  Tommy  was  quite 
proud. 

On  the  Monday,  William  and  Ready  set  off  in  the  boat 
to  the  little  harbour,  and  found  all  the  stock  doing  well, 
and  promising   to  increase.       Many  of  the  bananas    and 


Masterman  Ready  301 

guavas  had  ripened  and  withered,  but  there  were  enough 
left  to  fill  the  boat  half  full.  The  yams  had  not  been 
broken  in  upon  by  the  pigs,  and  the  tents  were  in  good 
order. 

"  "We  cannot  do  better  than  to  leave  the  stock  where  it 
is  at  present,  Master  William  ;  they  can  run  into  the  cocoa- 
nut  grove  for  shelter  if  there  is  a  storm,  and  there  is  feed 
enough  for  ten  times  as  many." 

"  I  think  so  too." 

"  But  in  a  few  days  we  must  come  round  again  for  the 
tents  ;  we  must  not  leave  them  here  the  whole  rainy  season. 
Now,  sir,  shall  we  go  back  ? " 

"  Yes ;  at  all  events,  Tommy  will  be  delighted  with 
our  cargo.  But  will  you  not  dig  up  a  few  yams 
first  ?  " 

"  I  had  quite  forgotten  it,  Master  William.  I  will  go  for 
the  spade  ;  we  left  one  in  the  nearest  tent." 

Having  procured  the  yams,  they  set  off  on  their  return. 
Before  they  arrived  at  the  bay,  the  sky  clouded  over,  and 
threatened  a  storm.  It  did  not,  however,  rain  till  after  they 
had  landed,  when  a  smart  shower  announced  the  commence- 
ment of  the  rainy  season.  The  fruit  was  very  welcome  to 
all  of  them,  it  was  so  long  since  they  had  tasted  any  ;  but 
Tommy  was  ravenous  to  obtain  it ;  he  could  not  eat  it  fast 
enough  to  please  himself,  and  Mr  Seagrave  was  compelled 
to  prevent  him  from  eating  any  more. 

The  following  day  was  beautifully  fine,  and  everything 
appeared  refreshed  by  the  rain  which  had  fallen.  It  was, 
however,  agreed  that  Ready  and  William  should  go  round 
the  next  morning,  bring  home  the  tents,  and  as  many  yams 
as  the  boat  could  carry.  William  and  Ready  went  out 
at  night  as  usual,  when  Ready  observed  that  the  wind  had 
chopped  round  to  the  eastward. 

"  That  will  be  bad  for  us  to-morrow,  Ready,"  replied 
William.  "  We  may  sail  to  the  harbour,  but  we  shall  have 
to  pull  back  with  the  loaded  boat." 

"I  trust  it  will  be  no  worse  than  that,  at  all  events," 
replied  Ready  ;  "  but  we  must  now  return,  and  go  to  bed. 


302  Masterman  Ready 

I  shall  be  up  by  daylight,  so  you  need  not  wake  without 
you  like." 

"  I  can't  help  waking,"  replied  William,  "  and  I  shall, 
therefore,  be  up  with  you." 

"  Very  well,  sir,  I  am  always  glad  of  your  company." 

The  next  morning,  just  before  the  day  dawned,  Ready 
and  William  unfastened  the  door  of  the  stockade,  and  went 
down  to  the  beach.  The  wind  was  still  to  the  eastward, 
and  blowing  rather  fresh,  and  the  sky  was  cloudy.  As  the 
sun  rose,  Ready,  as  usual,  had  his  telescope  with  him,  and 
looked  through  it  at  the  offing  to  the  eastward.  As  he 
kept  the  spy-glass  to  his  eye  for  some  time  without 
speaking,  William  said — 

"  Do  you  see  anything,  Ready,  that  you  look  so  long  in 
that  direction  ? " 

"Either  my  old  eyes  deceive  me,  or  I  fear  that  I  do," 
replied  Ready  j  "  but  a  few  minutes  more  will  decide." 

There  was  a  bank  of  clouds  on  the  horizon  to  the  east- 
ward, but  as  soon  as  the  sun  had  risen  above  them,  Ready, 
who  had  the  telescope  fixed  in  the  same  direction,  said — 

"  Yes,  Master  William,  I  am  right.  I  thought  that  those 
dark  patches  I  saw  were  their  brown  grass  sails." 

"  Sails  of  what,  Ready  ?  "  said  William  hastily. 

"Of  the  Indian  canoes,  Master  William;  I  knew  that 
they  would  come.  Take  the  glass,  and  look  yourself, 
Master  William ;  my  eye  is  quite  dim  from  straining  it  so 
long." 

"  Yes,  I  have  them  now,"  replied  William,  with  his  eye 
to  the  glass  ;  he  at  last  said — 

"Why,  there  are  twenty  or  thirty  of  them,  Ready,  at 
least." 

"  And  each  with  twenty  or  thirty  men  in  them,  too, 
Master  William." 

"  Good  heaven !  What  must  we  do,  Ready  ?  How 
frightened  my  poor  mother  will  be.  I'm  afraid  we  can  do 
nothing  against  such  a  number." 

"  Yes,  William,  we  can  do  a  great  deal,  and  we  must  do 
a  great  deal.     That  there  are  hundreds  of  savages  there  is 


Masterman  Ready  303 

no  doubt ;  but  recollect  that  we  have  a  stockade,  which 
they  cannot  easily  climb  over,  and  plenty  of  fire-arms  and 
ammunition,  so  that  we  can  make  a  good  fight  of  it,  and 
perhaps  beat  them  off,  for  they  have  nothing  but  clubs  and 
spears." 

"  How  fast  they  come  down,  Ready ;  why,  they  will 
be  here  in  an  hour." 

"  No,  sir,  nor  in  two  hours  either ;  those  are  very  large 
canoes.  However,  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost.  While  I 
watch  them  for  a  few  minutes  till  I  make  them  more  clearly 
out,  do  you  run  up  to  the  house  and  beckon  your  father  to 
come  down  to  me ;  and  then,  Master  William,  get  all  the 
muskets  ready,  and  bring  the  casks  of  powder,  and  of  made- 
up  cartridges,  from  the  old  house  into  the  stockade.  Call 
Juno,  and  she  will  help  you.  We  shall  have  time  enough 
to  do  everything.  After  you  have  done  that,  you  had 
better  come  down  and  join  us." 

In  a  very  few  minutes  after  William  ran  up  to  the  house, 
Mr  Seagrave  made  his  appearance. 

"Ready,  there  is  danger,  I'm  sure  ;  William  would  not 
tell  me,  I  presume,  because  he  was  afraid  of  alarming  his 
mother.     What  is  it  ?  " 

"  It  is,  Mr  Seagrave,  that  the  savages  are  now  coming 
down  upon  us  in  large  force ;  perhaps  five  or  six  hundred 
of  them ;  and  that  we  shall  have  to  defend  ourselves  with 
all  our  might  and  main." 

"Do  you  think  we  have  any  chance  against  such  a 
force?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  with  God's  help  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  we 
shall  beat  them  ofF;  but  we  must  fight  hard,  and  for  some 
days,  I  fear." 

Mr  Seagrave  examined  the  fleet  of  canoes  with  the  glass. 
"It  is,  indeed,  dreadful  odds  to  contend  against." 

"  Yes,  sir,  but  three  muskets  behind  a  stockade  are 
almost  a  match  for  all  their  clubs  and  spears,  provided  none 
of  us  are  wounded." 

"Well,  Ready,  we  must  put  our  trust  in  the  Lord,  and 
do  our  best ;  1  will  second  you  to  the  utmost  of  my  power, 


304  Masterman  Ready 

and  William,  I'm  sure,  will  do  his  duty.  I  have,  indeed, 
much  to  fight  for,  a  wife  and  family  ;  but  you,  Ready,  have 
no  such  ties." 

"  No,  sir,  but  I  shall  fight  for  my  life,  which,  although 
not  worth  much,  I  do  not  wish  to  lose  by  their  hands  ;  and 
I  shall  fight  for  you  and  the  family  too,  sir,  for  I  am 
attached  to  you  all,  and  there's  an  end  of  the  business.  I 
think,  sir,  we  had  better  not  wait  here  any  more,  as  we 
have  not  long  to  prepare  for  them.  We  have  only  to  fix 
up  some  of  our  strong  deal  planks  on  the  inside  of  the 
stockade  for  us  to  stand  upon  when  we  are  attacked,  that 
we  may  see  what  the  enemy  is  about,  and  be  able  to  fire 
upon  them.  But  first  we  had  better  go  to  the  old  house, 
and  take  out  what  provisions  and  other  articles  we  shall 
most  want,  and  roll  the  casks  into  the  stockade,  for  to  the 
old  house  they  will  go  first,  and  perhaps  destroy  everything 
in  it.  The  casks  they  certainly  will,  for  the  sake  of  the 
iron  hoops.  An  hour's  work  will  do  a  great  deal,  for  the 
distance  is  not  very  great.  I  believe  we  have  everything 
we  want  in  the  stockade  ;  Juno  has  her  fuel,  the  large  butt 
of  water  will  last  us  two  or  three  weeks  at  least,  and  if  we 
have  time,  we  will  get  the  wheels  down,  and  spear  a  couple 
of  turtles  for  fresh  provisions." 

"  We  hardly  need  think  of  turtle  just  now,  Ready." 

"Why  not,  sir,  it's  as  well  to  have  them  as  to  leave 
them  for  the  savages  to  eat  for  us.  I  will  get  all  up  I  can, 
even  if  we  do  not  eat  them ;  they  will  live  for  weeks  on 
their  back  in  the  shade." 

This  conversation  passed  as  they  walked  up  to  the  house. 
As  soon  as  they  arrived,  they  found  William  and  Juno  had 
just  brought  in  the  powder  and  cartridges.  Mr  Seagrave 
went  in  to  break  the  matter  to  his  wife,  who,  he  feared, 
would  be  much  alarmed. 

"  I  was  told  that  I  had  to  expect  this,  my  dear,"  replied 
Mrs  Seagrave,  "  so  that  it  has  not  come  upon  me  altogether 
unawares,  and  anything  that  a  poor  weak  woman  can  do, 
I  will.  I  feel  that  I  have  no  want  of  courage  to  defend 
my  children." 


Masterman  Ready  305 


a 


I  am  indeed  greatly  relieved,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  "  by 
finding  you  thus  prepared  and  supported.  I  shall  feel  no 
anxiety — but  we  have  work  to  be  done." 

"Then  I  must  help,  my  dear  Seagrave;  and  what  I 
want  in  strength,  I  must  make  up  in  energy." 

Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave  then  joined  William,  Ready, 
and  Juno,  who  had  already  proceeded  to  the  old  house. 
The  children  were  all  still  in  bed  and  asleep,  so  that 
there  was  no  occasion  for  any  one  to  watch  them. 


Chapter  LXI 

As  they  could  have  a  very  good  view  of  the  canoes  from 
where  the  old  house  stood,  Ready  examined  them  with 
his  glass  every  time  that  he  returned  from  rolling  up 
a  cask  to  the  stockade.  Everyone  worked  hard ;  even 
Mrs  Seagrave  did  all  she  could,  either  assisting  in  rolling 
the  casks,  or  carrying  up  what  she  was  able  to  lift.  In 
an  hour  they  had  got  into  the  stockade  all  that  they 
most  cared  for,  and  the  canoes  were  still  about  six  or 
seven  miles  off. 

"  We  have  a  good  hour  before  they  arrive,  sir,"  said 
Ready,  "  and  even  then  the  reefs  will  puzzle  them  not 
a  little ;  I  doubt  if  they  are  disembarked  under  two  hours. 
We  have  plenty  of  time  for  all  we  wish  to  do.  Juno,  go 
for  the  wheels,  and  William,  come  down  with  the  spear, 
and  we  will  have  some  of  the  turtle  into  the  stockade. 
Mr  Seagrave,  I  do  not  require  your  assistance,  so  if  you 
will  have  the  kindness  to  get  out  the  muskets,  and  examine 
the  flints,  it  will  be  as  well." 

"  Yes  j  and  then  you  have  to  load  them,"  replied  Mrs 
Seagrave.  "  Juno  and  I  can  do  that  at  all  events,  ready 
for  you  to  fire  them." 

"  An  excellent  idea,  madam,"  replied  Ready ;  "  and 
you  will  really  be  of  service." 

In  half  an  hour  six  turtle  were  brought  up  by  Juno 
R  u 


306  Masterman  Ready 

and  William,  and  then  Ready  followed  them  into  the 
stockade.  "  I  don't  see  the  goat,  Master  William,"  said 
Ready ;  "  but  as  we  have  no  food  for  her,  I  think  we 
may  as  well  leave  her  out ;  she  will  run  away  when  she 
sees  such  strange  creatures  as  these  savages." 

They  then  rolled  the  casks,  and  upheaded  them  by  the 
sides  of  the  stockade,  and  fixed  up  deal  planks  to  stand 
upon,  just  high  enough  to  enable  them  to  see  over  the 
top  of  the  palisades,  and  to  fire  at  the  enemy.  Mrs 
Seagrave  had  been  shown  how  to  load  a  musket,  and 
Juno  was  now  taught  the  same. 

"  Now,  sir,  we  are  all  prepared,"  said  old  Ready,  "  and 
madam  and  Juno  can  go  and  look  a  little  after  the  children, 
and  get  breakfast." 

"Breakfast  all  ready.  Kettle  boil  long  time,"  said 
Juno. 

As  soon  as  the  children  were  dressed,  Mr  Seagrave 
called  Ready,  who  was  outside,  watching  the  canoes, 
and  they  went  to  their  morning  devotions,  and  prayed 
heartily  for  succour  in  this  time  of  need.  They  then 
breakfasted  in  haste ;  for,  as  may  be  supposed,  they  were 
almost  too  anxious  to  eat.  Mrs  Seagrave  pressed  her 
children  in  her  arms,  but  kept  up  her  spirits  wonderfully. 

"This  suspense  is  worse  than  all,"  said  she  at  last.  "I 
wish  now  that  they  were  come." 

"  Shall  I  go  to  Ready,  and  hear  his  report,  my  dear  ? 
I  will  not  be  away  three  minutes." 

In  a  short  time  Mr  Seagrave  returned,  saying  that  the 
canoes  were  close  to  the  beach,  that  the  savages  evidently 
had  a  knowledge  of  the  passages  through  the  reefs,  as 
they  had  steered  right  in,  and  had  lowered  their  sails ; 
that  Ready  and  William  were  on  the  look-out,  but  con- 
cealed behind  the  cocoa-nut  trees. 

"  I  hope  they  will  not  stay  out  too  long." 

"  No  fear  of  that,  my  dear  Selina ;  but  they  had  better 
watch  their  motions  to  the  last  minute." 

During  this  conversation  between  Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave 
within  the  stockade,  William  and  Ready  were  watching 


Masterman  Ready  307 

the  motions  of  the  savages,  a  large  portion  of  whom  had 
landed  out  of  ten  of  the  canoes,  and  the  others  were 
following  their  example  as  fast  as  they  could,  forcing 
their  way  through  the  reefs.  The  savages  were  all 
painted,  with  their  war-cloaks  and  feathers  on,  and  armed 
with  spears  and  clubs,  evidently  having  come  with  no 
peaceable  intentions.  At  first  they  occupied  themselves 
with  beaching  the  canoes,  and  as  they  were  very  large 
and  heavy,  this  was  a  work  of  some  few  minutes'  employ- 
ment for  the  whole  of  them. 

William,  who  had  taken  the  telescope  to  examine  them 
more  minutely,  said  to  Ready,  "  What  a  fierce,  cruel  set 
of  wretches  they  appear  to  be  ;  if  they  overpower  us,  they 
will  certainly  kill  us." 

"  Of  that  there  is  no  doubt,  Master  William  ;  but  we 
must  fight  hard,  and  not  let  them  overpower  us.  Kill 
us  they  certainly  will,  and  I  am  not  sure  that  they  may 
not  eat  us  afterwards,  but  that  is  of  little  consequence." 

William  shuddered  at  the  idea,  and  then  replied  in  a 
determined  tone,  "  I'll  fight  as  long  as  I  have  breath 
in  my  body ;  but,  Ready,  they  are  coming  up  as  fast  as 
they  can." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  right  up  to  the  old  house ;  we  must  wait  no 
longer.     Come,  Master  William." 

"I  thought  I  saw  another  vessel  under  sail,  out  away 
by  the  garden  point,  Ready,  just  as  we  turned  away." 

"Very  likely,  sir,  a  canoe  which  has  separated  from 
the  others  during  the  night.  Come,  quick,  Master  William, 
they  have  begun  to  yell." 

Another  half  minute,  and  they  arrived  at  the  door  of 
the  stockade :  they  entered,  shut  the  door,  and  then 
barricaded  it  with  the  cocoa-nut  poles  which  they  had 
fitted  to  the  inner  door-posts. 

"That  is  secure  enough,"  observed  Ready,  "and  now 
we  must  trust  to  Heaven  and  our  own  exertions." 


308  Masterman  Ready 

Chapter  LXII 

The  loud  yells  of  the  savages  struck  terror  into  the  heart 
of  Mrs  Seagrave  ;  it  was  well  that  she  had  not  seen  their 
painted  bodies  and  fierce  appearance,  or  she  would  have 
been  much  more  alarmed.  Little  Albert  and  Caroline 
clung  round  her  neck  with  terror  in  their  faces ;  they 
did  not  cry,  but  looked  round  and  round  to  see  from 
whence  the  horrid  noise  proceeded,  and  then  clung  faster 
to  their  mother.  Master  Tommy  was  very  busy,  finishing 
all  the  breakfast  which  had  been  left,  for  there  was  no 
one  to  check  him  as  usual ;  Juno  was  busy  outside,  and 
was  very  active  and  courageous.  Mr  Seagrave  had  been 
employed  making  the  holes  between  the  palisades  large 
enough  to  admit  the  barrels  of  the  muskets,  so  that  they 
could  fire  at  the  savages  without  being  exposed ;  while 
"William  and  Ready,  with  their  muskets  loaded,  were  on 
the  look-out  for  their  approach. 

"They  are  busy  with  the  old  house  just  now,  sir," 
observed  Ready,  "  but  that  won't  detain  them  long." 

"Here  they  come,"  replied  William;  "and  look,  Ready, 
is  not  that  one  of  the  women  who  escaped  from  us  in  the 
canoe,  who  is  walking  along  with  the  first  two  men  ? 
Yes,  it  is,  I  am  sure." 

"  You  are  right,  Master  "William,  it  is  one  of  them. 
Ah!  they  have  stopped;  they  did  not  expect  the  stockade, 
that  is  clear,  and  it  has  puzzled  them ;  see  how  they  are 
all  crowding  together  and  talking  ;  they  are  holding  a 
council  of  war  how  to  proceed ;  that  tall  man  must  be 
one  of  their  chiefs.  Now,  Master  "William,  although  I 
intend  to  fight  as  hard  as  I  can,  yet  I  always  feel  a  dislike 
to  begin  first ;  I  shall  therefore  show  myself  over  the 
palisades,  and  if  they  attack  me,  I  shall  then  fire  with  a 
quiet  conscience." 

"  But  take  care  they  don't  hit  you,  Ready." 

"  No  great  fear  of  that,  Master  "William.  Here  they 
come." 


Masterman  Ready  309 

Ready  now  stood  upon  the  plank  within,  so  as  to  show 
himself  to  the  savages,  who  gave  a  tremendous  yell, 
and,  as  they  advanced,  a  dozen  spears  were  thrown  at 
him  with  so  true  an  aim  that,  had  he  not  instantly  dodged 
behind  the  stockade,  he  must  have  been  killed.  Three 
or  four  spears  remained  quivering  in  the  palisades,  just 
below  the  top ;  the  others  went  over  it,  and  fell  down 
inside  of  the  stockade,  at  the  further  end. 

"Now,  Master  William,  take  good  aim;  "but  before 
William  could  fire,  Mr  Seagrave,  who  had  agreed  to  be 
stationed  at  the  corner  so  that  he  might  see  if  the  savages 
went  round  to  the  other  side,  fired  his  musket,  and  the 
tall  chief  fell  to  the  ground. 

Ready  and  William  also  fired,  and  two  more  of  the 
savages  were  seen  to  drop,  amidst  the  yells  of  their  com- 
panions. Juno  handed  up  the  other  muskets  which  were 
ready  loaded,  and  took  those  discharged,  and  Mrs  Sea- 
grave,  having  desired  Caroline  to  take  care  of  her  little 
brother,  and  Tommy  to  be  very  quiet  and  good,  came  out, 
turned  the  key  of  the  door  upon  them,  and  hastened  to 
assist  Juno  in  reloading  the  muskets. 

The  spears  now  rushed  through  the  air,  and  it  was  well 
that  they  could  fire  from  the  stockade  without  exposing 
their  persons,  or  they  would  have  had  but  little  chance. 
The  yells  increased,  and  the  savages  now  began  to  attack 
on  every  quarter  ;  the  most  active,  who  climbed  like  cats, 
actually  succeeded  in  gaining  the  top  of  the  palisades,  but, 
as  soon  as  their  heads  appeared  above,  they  were  fired  at 
with  so  true  an  aim  that  they  dropped  down  dead  outside. 
This  combat  lasted  for  more  than  an  hour,  when  the 
savages,  having  lost  a  great  many  men,  drew  off  from  the 
assault,  and  the  parties  within  the  stockade  had  time  to 
breathe. 

"  They  have  not  gained  much  in  this  bout,  at  all 
events,"  said  Ready;  "it  was  well  fought  on  our  side, 
and,  Master  William,  you  certainly  behaved  as  if  you  had 
been  brought  up  to  it ;  I  don't  think  you  ever  missed  your 
man  once." 


310  Masterman  Ready 

"Do  you  think  they  will  go  away  now  ? "  said  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  Oh,  no,  madam,  not  yet ;  they  will  try  us  every  way 
before  they  leave  us.  You  see  these  are  very  brave  men, 
and  it  is  clear  that  they  know  what  gunpowder  is,  or 
they  would  have  been  more  astonished." 

"I  should  think  so  too,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave;  "the 
first  time  that  savages  hear  the  report  of  fire-arms,  they  are 
usually  thrown  into  great  consternation." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  but  such  has  not  been  the  case  with  these 
people,  and  therefore  I  reckon  it  is  not  the  first  time  that 
they  have  fought  with  Europeans." 

"  Are  they  all  gone,  Ready  ? "  said  William,  who  had 
come  down  from  the  plank  to  his  mother. 

"  No,  sir  ;  I  see  them  between  the  trees  now ;  they  are 
sitting  round  in  a  circle,  and,  I  suppose,  making  speeches : 
it's  the  custom  of  these  people." 

"  Well,  I'm  very  thirsty,  at  all  events,"  said  William  ; 
"Juno,  bring  me  a  little  water." 

Juno  went  to  the  water-tub,  to  comply  with  William's 
request,  and  in  a  few  moments  afterwards  came  back  in 
great  consternation. 

"  Oh,  Massa  !  oh,  Missy  !  no  water ;  water  all  gone." 

"  Water  all  gone !  "  cried  Ready  and  all  of  them  in  a 
breath. 

"  Yes ;  not  one  little  drop  in  the  cask." 

"  I  filled  it  up  to  the  top ! "  exclaimed  Ready  very 
gravely  ;  "  the  tub  did  not  leak,  that  I  am  sure  of;  how  can 
this  have  happened  ? " 

"  Missy,  I  tink  I  know  now,"  said  Juno ;  "you  remem- 
ber you  send  Massa  Tommy,  the  two  or  three  days  we 
wash,  to  fetch  water  from  well  in  little  bucket.  You 
know  how  soon  he  come  back,  and  how  you  say  what 
good  boy  he  was,  and  how  you  tell  Massa  Seagrave  when 
he  come  to  dinner.  Now,  Missy,  I  quite  certain  Massa 
Tommy  no  take  trouble  go  to  well,  but  fetch  water  from 
tub  all  the  while,  and  so  he  empty  it." 

"I'm  afraid  you're  right,  Juno,"  replied  Mrs  Seagrave. 
"What  shall  we  do?" 


Masterman  Ready  3 1  i 

"  I  go  speak  Massa  Tommy,"  said  Juno,  running  to  the 
house. 

"  This  is  a  very  awkward  thing,  Mr  Seagrave,"  observed 
Ready  gravely. 

Mr  Seagrave  shook  his  head. 

The  fact  was,  that  they  all  perceived  the  danger  of  their 
position :  if  the  savages  did  not  leave  the  island,  they 
would  perish  of  thirst  or  have  to  surrender ;  and  in  the 
latter  case,  all  their  lives  would  most  certainly  be  sacrificed. 

Juno  now  returned :  her  suspicions  were  but  too  true. 
Tommy,  pleased  with  the  praise  of  being  so  quick  in 
bringing  the  water,  had  taken  out  the  spigot  of  the  cask, 
and  drawn  it  all  off.  He  was  now  crying,  and  promising 
not  to  take  the  water  again. 

"  His  promises  come  too  late,"  observed  Mr  Seagrave  ; 
"  well,  it  is  the  will  of  Heaven  that  all  our  careful 
arrangements  and  preparations  against  this  attack  should 
be  defeated  by  the  idleness  of  a  child,  and  we  must 
submit." 

"  Very  true,  sir,"  replied  Ready ;  "  all  our  hopes  now 
are,  that  the  savages  may  be  tired  out,  and  leave  the 
island." 

"If  I  had  but  a  little  for  the  children,  I  should  not 
care,"  observed  Mrs  Seagrave ;  "  but  to  see  those  poor 
things  suffer — is  there  not  a  drop  left,  Juno,  anywhere  ? " 

Juno  shook  her  head.  "  All  gone,  Missy ;  none 
nowhere." 

Mrs  Seagrave  said  she  would  go  and  examine,  and  went 
away  into  the  house  accompanied  by  Juno. 

"  This  is  a  very  bad  business,  Ready,"  observed  Mr 
Seagrave.  "  What  would  we  give  for  a  shower  of  rain 
now,  that  we  might  catch  the  falling  drops  !  " 

"  There  are  no  signs  of  it,  sir,"  replied  Ready ;  "we 
must,  however,  put  our  confidence  in  One  who  will  not 
forsake  us." 

"  I  wish  the  savages  would  come  on  again,"  observed 
William ;  "  for  the  sooner  they  come,  the  sooner  the 
affair  will  be  decided." 


312  Masterman  Ready 

"  I  doubt  if  they  will  to-day,  sir  •,  at  night-time  I  think 
it  very  probable,  and  I  fear  the  night  attack  more  than  the 
day.     We  must  make  preparations  for  it." 

"  Why,  what  can  we  do,  Ready  ?  " 

"In  the  first  place,  sir,  by  nailing  planks  from  cocoa- 
nut  tree  to  cocoa-nut  tree  above  the  present  stockade,  we 
may  make  a  great  portion  of  it  much  higher,  and  more 
difficult  to  climb  over.  Some  of  them  were  nearly  in,  this 
time.  If  we  do  that,  we  shall  not  have  so  large  a  space 
to  watch  over  and  defend  ;  and  then  we  must  contrive  to 
have  a  large  fire  ready  for  lighting,  that  we  may  not  have 
to  fight  altogether  in  the  dark.  It  will  give  them  some 
advantage  in  looking  through  the  palisades,  and  seeing 
where  we  are,  but  they  cannot  well  drive  their  spears 
through,  so  it  is  no  great  matter.  We  must  make  the  fire 
in  the  centre  of  the  stockade,  and  have  plenty  of  tar  in  it, 
to  make  it  burn  bright,  and  we  must  not,  of  course,  light 
it  until  after  we  are  attacked.  We  shall  then  see  where 
they  are  trying  for  an  entrance,  and  where  to  aim  with 
our  muskets." 

"  The  idea  is  very  good,  Ready,"  said  Mr  Seagrave  ; 
"if  it  had  not  been  for  this  unfortunate  want  of  water, 
I  really  should  be  sanguine  of  beating  them  off." 

"  We  may  suffer  very  much,  Mr  Seagrave,  I  have  no 
doubt  ;  but  who  knows  what  the  morrow  may  bring 
forth?" 

"  True,  Ready.     Do  you  see  the  savages  now  ? " 

"  No,  sir  ;  they  have  left  the  spot  where  they  were  in 
consultation,  and  I  do  not  even  hear  them  -,  I  suppose  they 
are  busy  with  their  wounded  and  their  dead." 

As  Ready  had  supposed,  no  further  attack  was  made  by 
the  savages  on  that  day,  and  he,  William,  and  Mr  Seagrave 
were  very  busy  making  their  arrangements ;  they  nailed 
the  planks  on  the  trunks  of  the  trees  above  the  stockade, 
so  as  to  make  three  sides  of  the  stockade  at  least  five  feet 
higher,  and  almost  impossible  to  climb  up ;  and  they  pre- 
pared a  large  fire  in  a  tar-barrel  full  of  cocoa-nut  leaves 
mixed  with  wood  and  tar,  so  as  to  burn  fiercely.     Dinner 


Masterman  Ready  313 

or  supper  they  had  none,  for  there  was  nothing  but  salt 
pork  and  beef  and  live  turtle,  and,  by  Ready's  advice, 
they  did  not  eat,  as  it  would  only  increase  their  desire  to 
drink. 

The  poor  children  suffered  much;  little  Albert  wailed 
and  cried  for  "  water,  water  ;  "  Caroline  knew  that  there 
was  none,  and  was  quiet,  poor  little  girl,  although  she 
suffered  much ;  as  for  Tommy,  the  author  of  all  this 
misery,  he  was  the  most  impatient,  and  roared  for  some 
time  till  William,  quite  angry  at  his  behaviour,  gave  him 
a  smart  box  on  the  ear,  and  he  reduced  his  roar  to  a 
whimper,  from  fear  of  receiving  another.  Ready  remained 
on  the  look-out  ;  indeed,  everything  was  so  miserable 
inside  of  the  house,  that  they  were  all  glad  to  go  out  of 
it  ;  they  could  do  no  good,  and  poor  Mrs  Seagrave  had  a 
difficult  and  most  painful  task  to  keep  the  children  quiet 
under  such  severe  privation,  for  the  weather  was  still 
very  warm  and  sultry. 


Chapter  LXIII 

But  the  moaning  of  the  children  was  very  soon  after  dusk 
drowned  by  the  yells  of  the  savages,  who,  as  Ready  had 
prognosticated,  now  advanced  to  the  night  attack. 

Every  part  of  the  stockade  was  at  once  assailed,  and 
their  attempts  now  made  were  to  climb  into  it ;  a  few 
spears  were  occasionally  thrown,  but  it  was  evident  that 
the  object  was  to  obtain  an  entrance  by  dint  of  numbers. 
It  was  well  that  Ready  had  taken  the  precaution  of  nailing 
the  deal  planks  above  the  original  stockade,  or  there  is 
little  doubt  but  that  the  savages  would  have  gained  their 
object ;  as  it  was,  before  the  flames  of  the  lire,  which 
Juno  had  lighted  by  Ready's  order,  gave  them  sufficient 
light,  three  or  four  savages  had  climbed  up  and  had  been 
shot  by  William  and  Mr  Seagrave,  as  they  were  on  the  top 
of  the  stockade. 


314  Masterman  Ready- 

When  the  fire  burnt  brightly,  the  savages  outside 
were  more  easily  aimed  at,  and  a  great  many  fell  in  their 
attempts  to  get  over.  The  attack  continued  more  than  an 
hour,  when  at  last,  satisfied  that  they  could  not  succeed, 
the  savages  once  more  withdrew,  carrying  with  them  as 
before  their  dead  and  wounded. 

"  I  trust  that  they  will  now  re-embark,  and  leave  the 
island,"  said  Mr  Seagrave  to  Ready. 

"  I  only  wish  they  may,  sir  ;  it  is  not  at  all  impossible ; 
but  there  is  no  saying.  I  have  been  thinking,  Mr  Sea- 
grave,  that  we  might  be  able  to  ascertain  their  movements 
by  making  a  look-out.  You  see,  sir,  that  cocoa-nut  tree," 
continued  Ready,  pointing  to  one  of  those  to  which  the 
palisades  were  fastened,  "  is  much  taller  than  any  of  the 
others :  now,  by  driving  spike-nails  into  the  trunk  at 
about  a  foot  apart,  we  might  ascend  it  with  ease,  and  it 
would  command  a  view  of  the  whole  bay ;  we  then  could 
know  what  the  enemy  were  about." 

"  Yes,  that  is  very  true  ;  but  will  not  any  one  be  very 
much  exposed  if  he  climbs  up  ? " 

"  No,  sir,  for  you  see  the  cocoa-nut  trees  are  cut  down 
clear  of  the  palisades  to  such  a  distance,  that  no  savage 
could  come  at  all  near  without  being  seen  by  any  one  on 
the  look-out,  and  giving  us  sufficient  time  to  get  down 
again  before  he  could  use  his  spear." 

"  I  believe  that  you  are  right  there,  Ready,  but  at  all 
events  I  would  not  attempt  to  do  it  before  daylight,  as 
there  may  be  some  of  them  still  lurking  underneath  the 
stockade." 

"  Certainly,  there  may  be,  sir,  and  therefore,  until 
daylight,  we  will  not  begin.  Fortunately,  we  have  plenty 
of  spike-nails  left." 

Mr  Seagrave  then  went  into  the  house ;  Ready  desired 
William  to  lie  down,  and  sleep  for  two  or  three  hours,  as 
he  would  watch.  In  the  morning,  when  Mr  Seagrave 
came  out,  he  would  have  a  little  sleep  himself. 

"  I  can't  sleep,  Ready.  I'm  mad  with  thirst,"  replied 
William. 


Masterman  Ready  315 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  it's  very  painful — I  feel  it  myself  very  much, 
but  what  must  those  poor  children  feel  ?  I  pity  them 
most." 

"  I  pity  my  mother  most,  Ready,"  replied  William  ;  "  it 
must  be  agony  to  her  to  witness  their  sufferings,  and  not 
be  able  to  relieve  them." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  it  must  be  terrible,  Master  William, 
to  a  mother's  feelings  ;  but,  perhaps,  these  savages  will 
be  off  to-morrow,  and  then  we  shall  forget  all  our 
privations." 

"  I  trust  in  God  that  they  may,  Ready,  but  they  seem 
very  determined." 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  iron  is  gold  to  them,  and  what  will  civilised 
men  not  do  for  gold  ?  Come,  Master  William,  lie  down 
at  all  events,  even  if  you  cannot  sleep." 

In  the  meantime,  Mr  Seagrave  had  gone  into  the  house. 
He  found  the  children  still  crying  for  water,  notwith- 
standing the  coaxing  and  soothing  of  Mrs  Seagrave,  who 
was  shedding  tears  as  she  hung  over  poor  little  Albert. 
Juno  had  gone  out,  and  had  dug  with  a  spade  as  deep 
as  she  could  with  a  faint  hope  that  some  might  be  found, 
but  in  vain,  and  she  had  just  returned  mournful  and 
disconsolate.  There  was  no  help  for  it  but  patience  ;  and 
patience  could  not  be  expected  in  children  so  young. 
Little  Caroline  only  drooped,  and  said  nothing.  Mr 
Seagrave  remained  for  two  or  three  hours  with  his  wife, 
assisting  her  in  pacifying  the  children,  and  soothing  her 
to  the  utmost  of  his  power  ;  at  last  he  went  out  and  found 
old  Ready  on  the  watch. 

"  Ready,  I  had  rather  a  hundred  times  be  attacked  by 
these  savages,  and  have  to  defend  this  place,  than  be  in 
that  house  for  even  five  minutes  and  witness  the  sufferings 
of  my  wife  and  children." 

"  I  do  not  doubt  it,  sir,"  replied  Ready  ;  "  but  cheer 
up,  and  let  us  hope  for  the  best ;  I  think  it  very  probable 
that  the  savages  after  this  second  defeat  will  leave  the 
island." 

"  I  wish  I  could  think  so,  Ready  ;  it  would  make  me 


316  Masterman  Ready 

very  happy ;  but  I  have  come  out  to  take  the  watch, 
Ready.     Will  you  not  sleep  for  a  while  ?  " 

"  I  will,  sir,  if  you  please,  take  a  little  sleep.  Call  me 
in  two  hours  ;  it  will  then  be  daylight,  and  I  can  go  to 
work,  and  you  can  get  some  repose  yourself." 

"  I  am  too  anxious  to  sleep,  I  think  so,  at  least." 

"  Master  William  said  he  was  too  thirsty  to  sleep,  sir, 
but,  poor  fellow,  he  is  now  fast  enough." 

"  I  trust  that  boy  will  be  spared,  Ready." 

"  I  hope  so  too ;  for  he  is  a  noble  fellow :  but  we 
are  all  in  the  hands  of  the  Almighty.  Good-night, 
sir." 

"  Good-night,  Ready." 

Mr  Seagrave  took  his  station  on  the  plank,  and  was  left 
to  his  own  reflections  ;  that  they  were  not  of  the  most 
pleasant  kind,  may  easily  be  imagined.  He  had,  however, 
been  well  schooled  by  adversity,  and  had  lately  brought 
himself  to  such  a  frame  of  mind,  as  to  bow  in  submission 
to  the  will  of  Heaven,  whatever  it  might  be.  He  prayed 
earnestly  and  fervently  that  they  might  be  delivered  from 
the  danger  and  sufferings  which  threatened  them,  and 
became  calm  and  tranquil  ;  prepared  for  the  worst,  if  the 
worst  was  to  happen,  and  confidently  placing  himself  and 
his  family  under  the  care  of  him  who  orders  all  as  he 
thinks  best. 

At  daylight  Ready  woke  up  and  relieved  Mr  Seagrave, 
who  did  not  return  to  the  house,  but  lay  down  on  the 
cocoa-nut  boughs,  where  Ready  had  been  lying  by  the  side 
of  William.  As  soon  as  Ready  had  got  out  the  spike-nails 
and  hammer,  he  summoned  William  to  his  assistance,  and 
they  commenced  driving  them  into  the  cocoa-nut  tree,  one 
looking  out  in  case  of  the  savages  approaching,  while  the 
other  was  at  work.  In  less  than  an  hour  they  had  gained 
the  top  of  the  tree  close  to  the  boughs,  and  had  a  very 
commanding  view  of  the  bay,  as  well  as  inland.  William, 
who  was  driving  the  last  dozen  spikes,  took  a  survey,  and 
then  came  down  to  Ready. 

"  I  can  see  everything,  Ready  :  they  have  pulled  down 


Masterman  Ready  317 

the  old  house  altogether,  and  are  most  of  them  lying  down 
outside,  covered  up  with  their  war  cloaks  ;  some  women 
are  walking  to  and  fro  from  the  canoes,  which  are  lying 
on  the  beach  where  they  first  landed." 

"  They  have  pulled  down  the  house  to  obtain  the  iron 
nails,  I  have  no  doubt,"  replied  Ready.  "Did  you  see 
any  of  their  dead  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I  did  not  look  about  very  much,  but  I  will  go 
up  again  directly.  I  came  down  because  my  hands  were 
jarred  with  hammering,  and  the  hammer  was  so  heavy  to 
carry.  In  a  minute  or  two  I  shall  go  up  light  enough. 
My  lips  are  burning,  Ready,  and  swelled  ;  the  skin  is  peel- 
ing off.  I  had  no  idea  that  want  of  water  would  have 
been  so  dreadful.  I  think  poor  Tommy  is  more  than 
punished  already." 

"  A  child  does  not  reflect  upon  consequences,  Master 
William,  nor  could  we  possibly  foresee  that  his  using  up 
the  water  could  have  created  such  misery.  It  was  an  idle 
trick  of  his,  and  whatever  may  be  the  consequences,  it 
still  can  be  considered  as  such  and  nothing  more." 

"  I  was  in  hopes  of  finding  a  cocoa-nut  or  two  on  the 
tree,  but  there  was  not  one." 

"  And  if  you  had  found  one,  it  would  not  have  had  any 
milk  in  it  at  this  season  of  the  year.  However,  Master 
William,  if  the  savages  do  not  go  away  to-day,  something 
must  be  done.  I  wish  now  that  you  would  go  up  again, 
and  see  if  they  are  not  stirring." 

William  again  mounted  to  the  top  of  the  tree,  and 
remained  up  for  some  minutes  ;  when  he  came  down,  he 
said,  "  They  are  all  up  now,  and  swarming  like  bees.  I 
counted  260  of  the  men  in  their  war-cloaks  and  feather 
head-dresses ;  the  women  are  passing  to  and  fro  from  the 
well  with  water ;  there  is  nobody  at  the  canoes  except 
eight  or  ten  women,  who  are  beating  their  heads,  I  think, 
or  doing  something  of  the  kind.  I  could  not  make  it  out 
well,  but  they  seem  all  doing  the  same  thing." 

"  I  know  what  they  are  about,  Master  William :  they 
are  cutting  themselves  with  knives  or  other  sharp  instru- 


318  Masterman  Ready 

merits.  It  is  the  custom  of  these  people.  The  dead  are 
all  put  into  the  canoes,  and  these  women  are  lamenting 
over  them ;  perhaps  they  are  going  away,  since  the  dead 
are  in  the  canoes,  but  there  is  no  saying." 


Chapter   LXIV 

The  second  day  was  passed  in  keeping  a  look-out  upon 
the  savages,  and  awaiting  a  fresh  attack.  They  could  per- 
ceive from  the  top  of  the  cocoa-nut  tree  that  the  savages 
held  a  council  of  war  in  the  forenoon,  sitting  round  in  a  large 
circle,  while  one  got  up  in  the  centre,  and  made  a  speech, 
flourishing  his  club  and  spear  while  he  spoke.  In  the 
afternoon  the  council  broke  up,  and  the  savages  were 
observed  to  be  very  busy  in  all  directions,  cutting  down 
the  cocoa-nut  trees,  and  collecting  all  the  brushwood. 

Ready  watched  them  for  a  long  while,  and  at  last  came 
down  a  little  before  sunset.  "  Mr  Seagrave,"  said  he, 
"  we  shall  have,  in  my  opinion,  no  attack  this  night,  but 
to-morrow  we  must  expect  something  very  serious ;  the 
savages  are  cutting  down  the  trees,  and  making  large 
faggots ;  they  do  not  get  on  very  fast,  because  their 
hatchets  are  made  of  stone  and  don't  cut  very  well,  but 
perseverance  and  numbers  will  effect  everything,  and 
I  daresay  that  they  will  work  all  night  till  they  have 
obtained  as  many  faggots  as  they  want." 

"  But  what  do  you  imagine  to  be  their  object,  Ready, 
in  cutting  down  trees,  and  making  the  faggots  ?  " 

"  Either,  sir,  to  pile  them  up  outside  the  palisades,  so 
large  as  to  be  able  to  walk  up  upon  them,  or  else  to  pile 
them  up  to  set  fire  to  them,  and  burn  us  out." 

"  Do  you  think  they  will  succeed  ?  " 

"Not  without  very  heavy  loss;  perhaps  we  may  beat 
them  off,  but  it  will  be  a  hard  fight ;  harder  than  any  we 
have  had  yet.  We  must  have  the  women  to  load  the 
muskets,  so  that  we  may  fire  as  fast  as  we  can.     I  should 


Masterman  Ready  319 

not  think  much  of  their  attempts  to  burn  us,  if  it  were 
not  for  the  smoke.  Cocoa-nut  wood,  especially  with  the 
bark  on,  as  our  palisades  have,  will  char  a  long  while, 
but  not  burn  easily  when  standing  upright ;  and  the  fire, 
when  the  faggots  are  kindled,  although  it  will  be  fierce, 
will  not  last  long." 

"But  suffering  as  we  are  now,  Ready,  for  want  of 
water,  how  can  we  possibly  keep  up  our  strength  to  meet 
them  in  a  suffocating  smoke  and  flame ;  we  must  drop 
with  sheer  exhaustion." 

"  We  must  hope  for  the  best,  and  do  our  best,  Mr 
Seagrave,"  replied  Ready ;  "  and  recollect  that  should 
anything  happen  to  me  during  the  conflict,  that  if  there 
is  any  chance  of  your  being  overpowered,  you  must  take 
advantage  of  the  smoke,  to  escape  into  the  woods,  and 
find  your  way  to  the  tents.  I  have  no  doubt  that  you 
will  be  able  to  do  that ;  of  course  the  attack  will  be 
to  windward,  if  they  use  fire,  and  you  must  try  and 
escape  to  leeward ;  I  have  shown  William  how  to  force 
a  palisade  if  necessary.  The  savages,  if  they  get  posses- 
sion, will  not  think  of  looking  for  you  at  first,  and, 
perhaps,  when  they  have  obtained  all  that  the  house 
contains,  not  even  afterwards." 

"Why  do  you  say  if  any  accident  happens  to  you, 
Ready  ? "  said  William. 

"Because,  Master  William,  if  they  place  the  faggots 
so  as  to  be  able  to  walk  to  the  top  of  the  palisades,  I 
may  be  wounded  or  killed,  and  so  may  you." 

"  Of  course,"  replied  William ;  "  but  they  are  not  in 
yet,  and  they  shall  have  a  hard  fight  for  it." 

Ready  then  told  Mr  Seagrave  that  he  would  keep  the 
watch,  and  call  him  at  twelve  o'clock.  During  these  two 
days,  they  had  eaten  very  little ;  a  turtle  had  been  killed, 
and  pieces  fried,  but  eating  only  added  to  their  thirst,  and 
even  the  children  refused  the  meat.  The  sufferings  were 
now  really  dreadful,  and  poor  Mrs  Seagrave  was  almost 
frantic. 

As  soon  as  Mr  Seagrave  had  gone  into  the  house,  Ready 


320  Masterman  Ready 

called  "William,  and  said,  "  Master  William,  water  we 
must  have.  I  cannot  bear  to  see  the  agony  of  the  poor 
children,  and  the  state  of  mind  which  your  poor  mother 
is  in  ;  and  more,  without  water  we  never  shall  be  able 
to  beat  off  the  savages  to-morrow.  We  shall  literally 
die  of  choking  in  the  smoke,  if  they  use  fire.  Now, 
William,  I  intend  to  take  one  of  the  seven-gallon  barricos, 
and  go  down  to  the  well  for  water.  I  may  succeed,  and 
I  may  not,  but  attempt  it  I  must,  and  if  I  fall  it  cannot 
be  helped." 

"  Why  not  let  me  go,  Ready  ? "  replied  William. 

"  For  many  reasons,  William,"  said  Ready ;  "  and  the 
chief  one  is  that  I  do  not  think  you  would  succeed  so  well 
as  I  shall.  I  shall  put  on  the  war-cloak  and  feathers  of  the 
savage  who  fell  dead  inside  of  the  stockade,  and  that  will 
be  a  disguise,  but  I  shall  take  no  arms  except  his  spear,  as 
they  would  only  be  in  my  way,  and  increase  the  weight  I 
have  to  carry.  Now  observe,  you  must  let  me  out  of  the 
door,  and  when  I  am  out,  in  case  of  accident,  put  one  of 
the  poles  across  it  inside ;  that  will  keep  the  door  fast,  if 
they  attack  it,  until  you  can  secure  it  with  the  others. 
Watch  my  return,  and  be  all  ready  to  let  me  in.  Do  you 
understand  me  ? " 

"  Yes,  perfectly,  Ready  ;  but  I  am  now,  I  must  confess, 
really  frightened ;  if  anything  was  to  happen  to  you,  what 
a  misery  it  would  be." 

"  There  is  no  help  for  it,  William.  Water  must,  if 
possible,  be  procured,  and  now  is  a  better  time  to  make  the 
attempt  than  later,  when  they  may  be  more  on  the  watch  j 
they  have  left  off  their  work,  and  are  busy  eating  ;  if  I  meet 
anyone,  it  will  only  be  a  woman." 

Ready  went  for  the  barrico,  a  little  cask,  which  held  six 
or  seven  gallons  of  water.  He  put  on  the  head-dress  and 
war-cloak  of  the  savage ;  and,  taking  the  barrico  on  his 
shoulder,  and  the  spear  in  his  hand,  the  poles  which  barred 
the  door  were  softly  removed  by  William,  and  after  ascer- 
taining that  no  one  was  concealed  beneath  the  palisades, 
Ready  pressed  William's  hand,  and  set  off  across  the  cleared 


\Arr-Vv- 


Masterman  Ready  321 

space  outside  of  the  stockade,  and  gained  the  cocoa-nut 
trees.  William,  as  directed,  closed  the  door,  passed  one 
pole  through  the  inner  door-posts  for  security,  and  remained 
on  the  watch.  He  was  in  an  awful  state  of  suspense, 
listening  to  the  slightest  noise,  even  the  slight  rustling  by 
the  wind  of  the  cocoa-nut  boughs  above  him  made  him 
start ;  there  he  continued  for  some  minutes,  his  gun  ready 
cocked  by  his  side. 

It  is  time  that  he  returned,  thought  William  ;  the  distance 
is  not  loo  yards,  and  yet  I  have  heard  no  noise.  At  last 
he  thought  he  heard  footsteps  coming  very  softly.  Yes, 
it  was  so.  Ready  was  returning,  and  without  any  accident. 
William  had  his  hand  upon  the  pole,  to  slip  it  on  one  side, 
and  open  the  door,  when  he  heard  a  scuffle  and  a  fall  close 
to  the  door.  He  immediately  threw  down  the  pole,  and 
opened  it  just  as  Ready  called  him  by  name.  William 
seized  his  musket,  and  sprang  out ;  he  found  Ready 
struggling  with  a  savage,  who  was  uppermost,  and  with 
his  spear  at  Ready's  breast.  In  a  second  William  levelled 
and  fired,  and  the  savage  fell  dead  by  the  side  of 
Ready. 

"  Take  the  water  in  quick,  William,"  said  Ready  in  a 
faint  voice.     "  I  will  contrive  to  crawl  in  if  I  can." 

William  caught  up  the  barrico  of  water,  and  took  it  in ; 
he  then  hastened  to  Ready,  who  was  on  his  knees.  Mr 
Seagrave,  hearing  the  musket  fired,  had  run  out,  and  find- 
ing the  stockade  door  open,  followed  William,  and  seeing 
him  endeavouring  to  support  Ready,  caught  hold  of  his 
other  arm,  and  they  led  him  tottering  into  the  stockade ; 
the  door  was  then  immediately  secured,  and  they  went  to 
his  assistance. 

"  Are  you  hurt,  Ready  ?  "  said  William. 

"  Yes,  dear  boy,  yes  ;  hurt  to  death,  I  fear:  his  spear 
went  through  my  breast.     Water,  quick,  water !  " 

"  Alas  !   that  we  had  some,"  said  Mr  Seagrave. 

"  We  have,  papa,"  replied  William  ;  "  but  it  has  cost  us 
dearly." 

William  ran  for  a  pannikin,  and  taking  out  the  bung, 

R  X 


322  Masterman  Ready 

poured  some  water  out  of  the  barrico,  and  gave  it  to  Ready, 
who  drank  it  with  eagerness. 

"Now,  William,  Jay  me  down  on  these  cocoa-nut 
boughs  •,  go  and  give  some  water  to  the  others,  and  when 
you  have  all  drank,  then  come  to  me  again.  Don't  tell 
Mrs  Seagrave  that  I'm  hurt.     Do  as  I  beg  of  you." 

"Papa,  take  the  water — do,  pray,"  replied  William; 
"  I  cannot  leave  Ready." 

"  I  will,  my  boy,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  ♦,  "  but  first 
drink  yourself." 

Wiiliam,  who  was  very  faint,  drank  off  the  pannikin 
of  water,  which  immediately  revived  him,  and  then,  while 
Mr  Seagrave  hastened  with  some  water  to  the  children 
and  women,  occupied  himself  with  old  Ready,  who 
breathed  heavily,  but  did  not  speak. 


Chapter    LXV 

After  returning  twice  for  water,  to  satisfy  those  in  the 
house,  Mr  Seagrave  came  to  the  assistance  of  William, 
who  had  been  removing  Ready's  clothes  to  ascertain  the 
nature  and  extent  of  the  wound  which  he  had  received. 

"We  had  better  move  him  to  where  the  other  cocoa- 
nut  boughs  lie  j  he  will  be  more  comfortable  there," 
said  William. 

Ready  whispered,  "  More  water."  William  gave  him 
some  more,  and  then,  with  the  assistance  of  his  father, 
Ready  was  removed  to"  a  more  comfortable  place.  As 
soon  as  they  had  laid  him  there,  Ready  turned  on  his 
side,  and  threw  up  a  quantity  of  blood. 

"I  am  better  now,"  said  he  in  a  low  voice;  "  bind  up 
the  wound,  William  ;  an  old  man  like  me  has  not  much 
blood  to  spare." 

Mr  Seagrave  and  William  then  opened  his  shirt,  and 
examined  the  wound ;  the  spear  had  gone  deep  into  the 
Jungs.     William  threw  off  his  own  shirt,  tore  it  up  into 


Mas  term  an  Ready  323 

strips,  and  then  bound  up  the  wound  so  as  to  stop  the 
effusion  of  blood. 

Ready,  who  at  first  appeared  much  exhausted  with 
being  moved  about,  gradually  recovered  so  as  to  be  able 
to  speak  in  a  low  voice,  when  Mrs  Seagrave  came  out 
of  the  house. 

"  Where  is  that  brave,  kind  man  ? "  cried  she,  "  that 
I  may  bless  him  and  thank  him." 

Mr  Seagrave  went  to  her,  and  caught  her  by  the 
arm. 

"  He  is  hurt,  my  dear  •,  I  am  afraid  very  much  hurt. 
I  did  not  tell  you  at  the  time." 

Mr  Seagrave  first  briefly  related  what  had  occurred, 
and  then  led  her  to  where  old  Ready  was  lying.  Mrs 
Seagrave  knelt  by  his  side,  took  his  hand,  and  burst  into 
tears. 

"  Don't  weep  for  me,  dear  madam,"  said  Ready  ;  "  my 
days  have  been  numbered  ;  I'm  only  sorry  that  I  cannot 
any  more  be  useful  to  you." 

"Dear,  good  old  man,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  after  a 
pause,  "  whatever  may  be  our  fates,  and  that  is  for  the 
Almighty  to  decide  for  us,  as  long  as  I  have  life,  what 
you  have  done  for  me  and  mine  shall  never  be  forgotten." 

Mrs  Seagrave  then  bent  over  him,  and,  kissing  his 
forehead,  rose  from  her  knees,  and  retired  weeping  into 
the  house. 

"  William,"  said  Ready,  "  I  can't  talk  now ;  raise  my 
head  a  little,  and  then  leave  me ;  I  shall  be  better  if  I'm 
quiet.  You  have  not  looked  round  lately.  Come  again 
in  about  half  an  hour.  Leave  me  now,  Mr  Seagrave ; 
I  shall  be  better  if  I  doze  a  little." 

William  and  Mr  Seagrave  complied  with  Ready's  request ; 
they  went  up  to  the  planks,  and  examined  all  round  the 
stockade,  cautiously  and  carefully ;  at  last  they  stopped. 

"  This  is  a  sad  business,  William,"  said  Mr  Seagrave. 

William  shook  his  head.  "  He  would  not  let  me  go," 
replied  he  ;  "I  wish  he  had.  I  fear  that  he  is  much  hurt ; 
do  you  think  so,  papa  ?  " 


324  Masterman  Ready 

"  I  should  say  that  he  cannot  recover,  William.  We 
shall  miss  him  to-morrow  if  they  attack  us ;  I  fear  much 
for  the  result." 

"  I  hardly  know  what  to  say,  papa  ;  but  this  I  feel,  that 
since  we  have  been  relieved,  I  am  able  to  do  twice  as  much 
as  I  could  have  done  before." 

"  I  feel  the  same,  my  dear  boy,  but  still  with  such  a 
force  against  us,  two  people  cannot  do  much." 

"  If  my  mother  and  Juno  load  the  muskets  for  us," 
replied  William,  "  we  shall  at  all  events  do  as  much  now 
as  we  should  have  been  able  to  do  if  there  were  three,  so 
exhausted  as  we  should  have  been." 

"  Perhaps  so,  my  dear  William  ;  at  all  events  we  will  do 
our  best,  for  we  fight  for  our  lives  and  the  lives  of  those 
most  dear  to  us." 

William  went  softly  up  to  Ready,  and  found  that  the 
old  man  was  dozing,  if  not  asleep ;  he  did  not  therefore 
disturb  him,  but  returned  to  his  father ;  they  carried  the 
barrico  of  water  into  the  house,  and  put  it  in  Mrs 
Seagrave's  charge,  that  it  might  not  be  wasted  ;  and  now 
that  their  thirst  had  been  appeased,  they  all  felt  the  calls 
of  hunger.  Juno  and  William  went  and  cut  off  steaks 
from  the  turtle,  and  fried  them ;  they  all  made  a  hearty 
meal,  and  perhaps  never  had  they  taken  one  with  so  much 
relish  in  their  lives. 

It  was  nearly  daylight,  when  William,  who  had  several 
times  been  softly  up  to  Ready  to  ascertain  whether  he 
slept  or  not,  found  him  with  his  eyes  open. 

"  How  do  you  find  yourself,  Ready  ?  "  said  William. 

"  I  am  quiet  and  easy,  William,  and  without  much  pain  ; 
but  I  think  I  am  sinking,  and  shall  not  last  long.  Re- 
collect that  if  you  are  obliged  to  escape  from  the  stockade, 
William,  you  take  no  heed  of  me,  but  leave  me  where  I 
am.  I  cannot  live,  and  were  you  to  move  me,  I  should 
only  die  the  sooner." 

"  I  had  rather  die  with  you,  than  leave  you, 
Ready." 

"  No,   sir,   that  is  wrong  and  foolish  ;  you  must  save 


Masterman  Ready  325 

your  mother,  and  your  brothers  and  sister  j  promise  me 
that  you  will  do  as  I  wish." 

William  hesitated. 

"  I  point  out  to  you  your  duty,  Master  William.  I 
know  what  your  feelings  are,  but  you  must  not  give  way 
to  them ;  promise  me  this,  or  you  will  make  me  very 
miserable." 

William  squeezed  Ready's  hand ;  his  heart  was  too  full 
to  speak. 

"  They  will  come  at  daylight,  William — I  think  so  at 
least ;  you  have  not  much  time  to  spare ;  climb  to  the 
look-out,  and  wait  there  till  day  dawns ;  watch  them  as 
long  as  you  can  in  safety,  and  then  come  down,  to  tell  me 
what  you  have  seen." 

Ready's  voice  became  faint  after  this  exertion  of  speaking 
so  much. 

He  motioned  to  William,  who  immediately  climbed  up 
the  cocoa-nut  tree,  and  waited  there  till  daylight. 

At  the  dawn  of  day,  he  perceived  that  the  savages  were 
at  work,  that  they  had  collected  all  the  faggots  together 
opposite  to  where  the  old  house  had  stood,  and  were  very 
busy  in  making  arrangements  for  the  attack.  At  last,  he 
perceived  that  they  every  one  shouldered  a  faggot,  and 
commenced  their  advance  towards  the  stockade  ;  William 
immediately  descended  from  the  tree,  and  called  his  father, 
who  was  talking  with  Mrs  Seagrave.  The  muskets  were 
all  loaded,  and  Mrs  Seagrave  and  Juno  took  their  posts 
below  the  planking,  to  reload  them  as  fast  as  they  were 
fired. 

"  We  must  fire  upon  them  as  soon  as  we  are  sure  of  not 
missing  them,  William,"  said  Mr  Seagrave,  "  for  the  more 
we  check  their  advance,  the  better." 

When  the  first  savages  were  within  fifty  yards,  they 
both  fired,  and  two  of  the  men  dropped  ;  and  they  con- 
tinued to  fire  as  their  assailants  came  up,  with  great 
success  for  the  first  ten  minutes  \  after  which  the  savages 
advanced  in  a  larger  body,  and  took  the  precaution  to  hold 
the  faggots  in  front  of  them,  for  some  protection  as  they 


326  Masterman  Ready 

approached.  By  these  means  they  gained  the  stockade  in 
safety,  and  commenced  laying  their  faggots.  Mr  Seagrave 
and  William  still  kept  up  an  incessant  lire  upon  them,  but 
not  with  so  much  success  as  before. 

Although  many  fell,  the  faggots  were  gradually  heaped 
up,  till  they  almost  reached  to  the  holes  between  the 
palisades,  through  which  they  pointed  their  muskets ;  and 
as  the  savages  contrived  to  slope  them  down  from  the 
stockade  to  the  ground,  it  was  evident  that  they  meant  to 
mount  up,  and  take  them  by  escalade.  At  last,  it  appeared 
as  if  all  the  faggots  had  been  placed,  and  the  savages 
retired  further  back,  to  where  the  cocoa-nut  trees  were 
still  standing. 

"They  have  gone  away,  father,"  said  William  ;  "  but 
they  will  come  again,  and  I  fear  it  is  all  over  with  us." 

"  I  fear  so  too,  my  noble  boy,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  j 
"  they  are  only  retreating,  to  arrange  for  a  general  assault, 
and  they  now  will  be  able  to  gain  an  entrance.  I  almost 
wish  that  they  had  fired  the  faggots  5  we  might  have 
escaped  as  Ready  pointed  out  to  us,  but  now  I  fear  we 
have  no  chance." 

" Don't  say  a  word  to  my  mother,"  said  William  ;  "let 
us  defend  ourselves  to  the  last,  and  if  we  are  overpowered 
it  is  the  will  of  God." 

"  I  should  like  to  take  a  farewell  embrace  of  your  dear 
mother,"  said  Mr  Seagrave  ;  "  but,  no  ;  it  will  be  weakness 
just  now.  I  had  better  not.  Here  they  come,  William, 
in  a  swarm.  Well,  God  bless  you,  my  boy ;  we  shall  all, 
I  trust,  meet  in  heaven." 

The  whole  body  of  savages  were  now  advancing  from 
the  cocoa-nut  wood  in  a  solid  mass  ;  they  raised  a  yell, 
which  struck  terror  into  the  hearts  of  Mrs  Seagrave  and 
Juno,  yet  they  flinched  not.  The  savages  were  again 
within  fifty  yards  of  them,  when  the  fire  was  opened  upon 
them ;  the  fire  was  answered  by  loud  yells,  and  the 
savages  had  already  reached  to  the  bottom  of  the  sloping 
pile  of  faggots,  when  the  yells  and  the  reports  of  the 
muskets  were  drowned  by  a  much  louder  report,  followed 


Masterman  Ready  327 

by  the  crackling  and  breaking  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees, 
which  made  both  parties  start  with  surprise ;  another  and 
another  followed,  the  ground  was  ploughed  up,  and  the 
savages  fell  in  numbers. 

"It  must  be  the  cannon  of  a  ship,  father,"  said  William  ; 
"  we  are  saved — we  are  saved  !  " 

"  It  can  be  nothing  else ;  we  are  saved,  and  by  a 
miracle,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave  in  utter  astonishment. 

The  savages  paused  in  the  advance,  quite  stupefied ; 
again,  again,  again,  the  report  of  the  loud  guns  boomed 
through  the  air,  and  the  round  shot  and  grape  came 
whizzing  and  tearing  through  the  cocoa-nut  grove  ;  at  this 
last  broadside,  the  savages  turned,  and  fled  towards  their 
canoes  :  not  one  was  left  to  be  seen. 

"  We  are  saved  !  "  cried  Mr  Seagrave,  leaping  off  the 
plank  and  embracing  his  wife,  who  sank  down  on  her 
knees,  and  held  up  her  clasped  hands  in  thankfulness  to 
heaven. 

William  had  hastened  up  to  the  look-out  on  the  cocoa- 
nut  tree,  and  now  cried  out  to  them  below,  as  the  guns 
were  again  discharged — 

"  A  large  schooner,  father ;  she  is  firing  at  the  savages, 
who  are  at  the  canoes ;  they  are  falling  in  every  direction : 
some  have  plunged  into  the  water  ;  there  is  a  boat  full  of 
armed  men  coming  on  shore  ;  they  are  close  to  the  beach, 
by  the  garden  point.  Three  of  the  canoes  have  got  off 
full  of  men ;  there  go  the  guns  again ;  two  of  the  canoes 
are  sunk,  father  j  the  boat  has  landed,  and  the  people  are 
coming  up  this  way."  William  then  descended  from  the 
look-out  as  fast  as  he  could. 

As  soon  as  he  was  down,  he  commenced  unbarring  the 
door  of  the  stockade.  He  pulled  out  the  last  pole  just  as 
he  heard  the  feet  of  their  deliverers  outside.  He  threw 
open  the  door,  and,  a  second  after,  found  himself  in  the 
arms  of  Captain  Osborn. 


328  Masterman  Ready 


Chapter  LXVI 

Before  we  wind  up  this  history,  it  will  be  as  well  to 
state  to  my  young  readers  how  it  was  that  Captain  Osborn 
made  his  appearance  at  so  fortunate  a  moment.  It  will  be 
recollected  how  a  brig  came  off  the  island  some  months 
before  this,  and  the  great  disappointment  that  the  party 
on  the  island  experienced  in  her  not  making  her  appear- 
ance again,  especially  as  they  had  seen  the  flags  which 
they  had  hoisted. 

The  fact  was,  that  those  on  board  of  the  brig  had  not 
only  seen  their  signals,  but  had  read  the  name  of  the 
Pacific  upon  the  flag  hoisted ;  but  the  heavy  gale  which 
came  on,  drove  them  so  far  to  the  southward,  that  the 
master  of  the  brig  did  not  consider  that  he  should  do  his 
duty  to  his  owners,  if  he  lost  so  much  time  in  beating  up 
for  the  island  again  ;  the  cargo  which  he  had  on  board 
was  one  which  would  lose  in  value  if  it  were  not  one  of 
the  first  in  the  market.  He  therefore  decided  upon 
making  all  sail  for  Sydney,  to  which  port  he  was  bound. 

When  Captain  Osborn  was  put  into  the  boat  by 
Mackintosh  and  the  seamen  of  the  Pacific,  he  was  still 
insensible  ;  but  he  gradually  recovered,  and  after  a  stormy 
night,  during  which  the  men  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
keeping  the  boat  afloat,  Captain  Osborn  was  so  far 
recovered  as  to  hear  from  Mackintosh  what  had  taken 
place,  and  why  it  was  that  he  found  himself  in  an  open 
boat  at  sea.  The  next  morning  the  wind  moderated,  and 
they  were  fortunate  enough  to  fall  in  with  a  vessel  bound 
to  Van  Diemen's  Land,  which  took  them  all  on  board. 

From  the  account  given  by  Mackintosh,  Captain  Osborn 
had  no  doubt  in  his  mind  but  that  the  Seagrave  family  had 
perished,  and  the  loss  of  the  vessel,  with  them  on  board, 
was  duly  reported  to  the  owners.  When  at  Van  Diemen's 
Land,  Captain  Osborn  was  so  much  taken  with  the  beauty 
and   fertility  of  the    country,  and   perhaps    not   so   well 


Masterman  Ready  329 

inclined  to  go  to  sea  again  after  such  danger  as  he  had 
incurred  in  the  last  voyage,  that  he  resolved  to  purchase 
land  and  settle  there.  He  did  so,  and  had  already  stocked 
his  farm  with  cattle,  and  had  gone  round  to  Sydney  in  a 
schooner  to  await  the  arrival  of  a  large  order  from  England 
which  he  had  sent  for,  when  the  brig  arrived  and  reported 
the  existence  of  some  white  people  on  the  small  island, 
and  also  that  they  had  hoisted  a  flag  with  the  name  Pacific 
worked  on  it. 

Captain  Osborn  hearing  this,  went  to  the  master  of  the 
brig,  and  questioned  him.  He  found  the  latitude  and 
longitude  of  the  island  to  be  not  far  from  that  of  the  ship 
when  she  was  deserted,  and  he  was  now  convinced  that, 
by  some  miracle,  the  Seagrave  family  had  been  preserved. 
He  therefore  went  to  the  Governor  of  New  South  Wales, 
and  made  him  acquainted  with  the  facts  which  had  been 
established,  and  the  Governor  instantly  replied,  that  the 
government  armed  schooner  was  at  his  service,  if  he  would 
himself  go  in  quest  of  his  former  shipmates.  Incon- 
venient as  the  absence  at  that  time  was  to  Captain  Osborn, 
he  at  once  acquiesced,  and  in  a  few  days  the  schooner 
sailed  for  her  destination.  She  arrived  oif  the  island  on 
the  same  morning  that  the  fleet  of  canoes  with  the  savages 
effected  their  landing,  and,  when  William  made  the 
remark  to  Ready  as  they  were  hastening  into  the  stockade, 
that  there  was  another  vessel  under  sail  off  the  garden 
point,  had  Ready  had  time  to  put  his  eye  to  the  telescope, 
he  would  have  discovered  that  it  was  the  schooner,  and 
not,  as  he  supposed,  a  canoe  which  had  separated  from  the 
others  during  the  night. 

The  schooner  stood  in  to  the  reefs,  and  then  hauled  off 
again,  that  she  might  send  her  boat  in,  to  sound  for  an 
anchorage.  The  boat,  when  sounding,  perceived  the 
canoes  and  the  savages,  and  afterwards  heard  the  report  of 
firearms  on  the  first  attack.  On  her  return  on  board  the 
schooner,  they  stated  what  they  had  seen  and  heard,  and 
their  idea  that  the  white  people  on  the  island  were  being 
attacked  by  the  savages.     As  the  boat  did  not  return  on 


330  Masterman  Ready 

board  till  near  dusk,  they  had  not  time  to  canvas  the 
question  when  the  night  attack  was  made,  and  they  again 
heard  the  firing  of  the  muskets.  This  made  Captain 
Osborn  most  anxious  to  land  as  soon  as  possible,  but  as 
the  savages  were  in  such  numbers,  and  the  crew  of  the 
schooner  did  not  consist  of  more  than  twenty-five  men, 
the  commander  considered  it  was  rash  to  make  the  attempt. 
He  did,  however,  show  the  utmost  anxiety  to  bring  his 
schooner  to  an  anchor,  so  as  to  protect  his  men,  and  then 
agreed  that  they  should  land. 

The  boat  had  reported  deep  water  and  good  anchorage 
close  to  the  garden  point,  and  every  preparation  was  made 
for  running  at  daylight  on  the  following  morning  ;  but, 
unfortunately,  it  fell  calm  for  the  best  part  of  the  day,  and 
it  was  not  until  the  morning  after,  just  as  the  savages 
were  making  their  last  attack  upon  the  stockade,  that 
she  could  get  in.  As  soon  as  she  did,  she  opened  the  fire 
of  her  carronades,  and  the  result  is  already  known  ;  the 
savages  fled  in  all  directions,  the  boat  was  then  manned, 
and  Captain  Osborn  led  the  party  who  landed,  and  came 
so  opportunely  to  their  relief. 

My  readers  must,  if  they  can,  imagine  the  joy  of  Mr 
and  Mrs  Seagrave  when  they  beheld  their  old  friend 
Captain  Osborn.  All  danger  was  now  over  ;  the  party 
who  had  landed  with  him  went  out  under  the  command 
of  the  mate,  to  ascertain  if  there  were  any  more  of 
the  savages  to  be  found ;  but,  except  the  dead  and 
dying,  all  had  escaped  in  some  of  the  smaller  canoes. 
Captain  Osborn  remained  with  the  Seagraves,  and  in  a 
few  words  told  his  own  history,  and  they  then  informed 
him  of  the  state  of  poor  old  Ready,  whom  William 
had  gone  to  attend  as  soon  as  Captain  Osborn  was 
engaged  with  his  father  and  mother.  Captain  Osborn 
hurried  out  to  see  him  ;  Ready  knew  him  immediately, 
that  is,  he  knew  his  voice,  for  the  old  man's  eyes  were 
already  so  dim,  that  he  could  not  see. 

"  That  is  Captain  Osborn,  I  know,"  said  Ready,  in  a 
faint  voice.     "  You  have  come  in  good  time,  sir ;  I  knew 


Masterman  Ready  331 

you  would  come,  and  I  always  said  so  :  you  have  the 
thanks  of  a  dying  man." 

"  I  hope  it  is  not  so  bad  as  that,  Ready  ;  we  have  a 
surgeon  on  board,  and  I  will  send  for  him  at  once." 

"  No  surgeon  can  help  me,  sir,"  replied  Ready ; 
"  another  hour  of  time  will  not  pass  before  I  shall  be 
in  eternity.  I  thank  God  for  the  preservation  of  the 
family,  but,  Captain  Osborn,  my  time  is  come." 

The  old  man  then  joined  his  hands  across  his  breast, 
and  remained  for  some  time  in  silent  prayer. 

"  We  had  better  leave,"  said  Captain  Osborn  ;  "  he 
wishes  not  to  be  interrupted.  I  will  send  for  the  surgeon, 
at  all  events,  although  I  feel  it  is  useless  ;  the  hand  of 
death  is  already  on  him." 

Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave  walked  away  with  Captain 
Osborn,  all  of  them  much  affected  with  the  scene. 
William  still  remained  by  Ready's  side  to  give  him 
water  when  he  asked  for  it.  A  few  minutes  afterwards, 
Ready  opened  his  eyes. 

"  Are  you  there,  William  ?  I  can't  see  you.  Listen  to 
me,  my  dear  boy.  Let  me  be  buried  under  the  trees 
on  the  mound  above  the  well.  I  wish  to  lie  there.  Poor 
little  Tommy  ;  don't  let  him  know  that  he  was  the  cause 
of  my  death.  Bring  him  here  now,  and  Juno  and  Caroline, 
to  say  good-bye,  William." 

William,  with  the  tears  rolling  down  his  cheeks, 
hastened  into  the  house,  and  communicated  Ready's  wish 
to  his  father  and  mother.  They  all  went  out  in  a  body,  to 
take  a  last  farewell ;  Ready  called  them  all  by  name,  one 
after  another.  They  knelt  down  as  he  called  them,  and 
kissed  him.  He  bade  them  farewell  in  a  faint  voice, 
which  at  last  was  changed  to  a  mere  whisper.  They 
still  remained,  in  silence  and  in  tears,  standing  round  him, 
William  only  kneeling  and  holding  his  hand,  when  the  old 
man's  head  fell  back,  and  he  was  no  more  ! 

"  It  is  all  over,"  said  Mr  Seagrave  mournfully,  "  and  he 
has,  I  have  no  doubt,  gone  to  receive  the  reward  of  a  good 
and  just  man.     *  Happy  are  those  who  die  in  the  Lord.'  " 


332  Masterman  Ready- 

Mr  Seagrave  then  led  away  his  wife  and  children,  leaving 
Juno  and  William.  Poor  Juno  cried  as  if  her  heart  would 
break,  as  soon  as  her  master  and  mistress  were  gone,  and 
she  could  give  vent  to  her  feelings.  "William  tried  to 
console  her. 

"  Oh  !  Massa  William,  me  often  think,  and  me  really 
think  now,  he  sent  by  Heaven  to  save  us  all.  He  just  live 
long  enough  to  do  all  he  could  do,  and  now  he  gone  to 
Heaven  again." 

"I  trust  he  has,  Juno;  I  hope  I  may  live  as  well,  and 
die  as  well  as  he  has  done." 

William  closed  up  the  eyes,  and  Juno  went  and  fetched 
the  ship's  ensign,  which  they  laid  over  the  body,  after 
which  they  joined  the  rest  of  the  party  in  the  house. 

During  the  time  that  William  had  remained  with  old 
Ready,  the  commander  of  the  schooner  had  landed  with 
another  party  of  men,  whom  he  despatched  to  scour  the 
island  in  pursuit  of  any  savages  who  might  remain ;  but 
they  could  find  none.  Captain  Osborn  introduced  him  to 
Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave,  and  arrangements  were  commenced 
for  the  embarkation.  It  was  decided  that  the  following 
day  should  be  passed  in  packing  up  and  getting  on  board 
their  luggage,  and  that  the  day  after  the  family  should 
embark.  William  then  mentioned  the  wish  of  poor  old 
Ready,  as  to  his  burial.  The  commander  immediately 
gave  directions  for  a  coffin  to  be  made,  and  for  his  men  to 
dig  the  grave  at  the  spot  that  William  should  point  out. 
It  was  also  arranged  that  Juno  should  go  round  with  the 
boat  the  next  morning  at  daylight,  to  point  out  the  little 
harbour,  that  they  might  take  on  board  the  Merino  sheep, 
which  were  of  value ;  all  the  other  animals,  with  the 
exception  of  the  dogs,  were  to  be  left  on  the  island,  for 
the  benefit  of  those  who  might  at  any  future  time  meet 
with  a  disaster  similar  to  that  of  the  crew  and  passengers 
of  the  Pacific, 

The  boats  were  on  shore  early  the  next  morning,  and 
the  luggage  was  taken  on  board  ;  but  Mr  Seagrave  would 
not  take  anything  which  could  prove  useful  to  any  people 


Masterman  Ready  2>2>?> 

who  might  be  wrecked  on  the  island ;  the  furniture,  tools, 
ironwork,  nails,  beef  and  pork,  and  flour,  were  all  put  into 
the  house  and  locked  up ;  the  luggage  therefore  carried 
away  was  not  very  great,  and  was  soon  on  board. 


Chapter  LXVII 

The  hurry  and  bustle  of  preparing  for  their  departure 
from  the  island,  and  the  rapid  succession  of  events  which 
had  been  crowded  together  within  so  very  few  days,  had 
not  allowed  time  for  much  thought  or  reflection  to  Mr  and 
Mrs  Seagrave  and  William ;  at  length,  however,  every 
preparation  had  been  made,  and  they  were  no  longer  urged 
by  the  commander  of  the  schooner  to  hasten  their  packing 
up  and  arrangements ;  for  everything  had  been  sent  on 
board  during  the  afternoon,  and  it  was  proposed  that  they 
should  sail  on  the  following  day. 

Now  they  had  time  to  feel,  and  bitterly  did  they  lament 
the  loss  of  their  old  friend,  and  deplore  that  he  had  not 
survived  to  sail  with  them  to  Sydney.  They  had  always 
indulged  the  hope  that  one  day  they  should  be  taken  off 
the  island,  and  in  that  hope  they  had  ever  looked  forward 
to  old  Ready  becoming  a  part  of  their  future  household. 
Now  that  their  wishes  had  been  granted, — now  that  their 
fond  longings  were  about  to  be  realised, — so  much  was 
the  feeling  of  joy  and  gratitude  mingled  with  regret, — so 
great  was  their  grief  at  the  loss  of  their  preserver, — that 
could  he  have  been  restored  to  them,  they  felt  as  if  they 
would  have  gladly  remained  on  the  island. 

Captain  Osborn,  the  commander,  and  the  crew  of  the 
schooner  had  taken  leave  of  them  for  the  night,  and  had 
gone  on  board,  having  made  arrangements  for  the  inter- 
ment of  Ready,  previous  to  their  sailing,  on  the  following 
day.  The  children  had  been  put  to  bed,  and  Juno  had 
quitted  the  house ;  Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave  and  William 
were  sitting  together  in  their  now  half-dismantled  room, 


334  Masterman  Ready 

when  Juno   entered  ;   the   poor   girl   had   evidently  been 
weeping. 

"  Well,  Juno,"  observed  Mr  Seagrave,  with  a  view  to 
break  the  silence  which  had  continued  for  some  time 
previous  to  her  entrance,  "  are  you  not  glad  to  leave  the 
island  ? " 

"  One  time  I  think  I  would  be  very  glad,  but  now  I 
not  care  much,"  replied  Juno.  "  Island  very  nice  place, 
all  very  happy  till  savage  come.  Suppose  they  not  kill 
old  Ready,  I  not  care." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  Mrs  Seagrave,  "it  is  a  sad  blow 
to  us  all ;  I  did  hope  to  have  fostered  the  good  old  man, 
and  to  have  been  able  to  have  shown  him  our  gratitude, 

but " 

"It  is  the  will  of  Heaven  that  it  should  be  otherwise," 
continued  Mr  Seagrave;  "I  would  give  half  that  I  am 
possessed  of,  that  he  had  not  perished." 

"Oh,  massa ! "  said  Juno,  "I  sit  by  him  just  now;  I 
take  off  the  flag  and  look  at  his  face,  so  calm,  look  so 
happy,  so  good,  I  almost  tink  he  smile  at  me,  and  then 
I  cry.     Oh  !  Massa  Tommy,  all  because  you  idle  boy." 

"  It  adds  much  to  my  regret,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave, 
"  that  his  life  should  have  been  sacrificed  through  the 
thoughtlessness  of  one  of  my  own  children ;  what  a  lesson 
it  will  be  to  Tommy  when  he  is  old  enough  to  comprehend 
fully  the  consequences  of  his  conduct." 

"  That  he  must  not  know,  papa,"  said  William,  who 
had  been  leaning  mournfully  over  the  table;  "one  of 
Ready's  last  injunctions  was  that  Tommy  was  never  to 
be  told  of  it.     He  made  me  promise." 

"  His  last  wishes  shall  be  religiously  attended  to,  my 
dear  boy,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  for  what  do  we  not 
owe  to  that  good  old  man  ?  When  others  deserted  us 
and  left  us  to  perish,  he  remained  with  us  to  share  our 
fate,  with  every  prospect  that  the  ocean  would  bury  us. 
By  his  skill  we  were  saved  and  landed  in  safety.  He 
provided  for  our  wants,  added  to  our  comforts,  instructed 
us  how  to  make  the  best  use  of  our  means,   was  our 


Masterman  Ready  335 

adviser,  and,  I  may  say,  our  protector.  What  should  we 
have  done  without  him  ?  Without  his  precautions,  we 
should  have  perished  by  the  spears  of  the  savages.  It 
was  his  self-devotion  which  procured  the  water  which 
saved  our  lives,  and  it  was  in  this  act  that  he  sacrificed 
his  own.  What  an  example  of  Christian  fortitude  and 
humility  did  he  ever  show  us ;  and  indeed,  I  may  truly 
say,  that  by  his  example,  sinful  as  I  must  ever  be,  I  have 
become,  I  trust,  a  better  man.  Would  that  he  were  now 
sitting  by  us, — but  the  Lord's  will  be  done." 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  had  lost  a  stay  or  prop,  my  dear  husband," 
replied  Mrs  Seagrave.  "  So  accustomed  have  I  been  to 
look  to  him  for  advice  since  we  have  been  on  this  island. 
I  feel  now  constantly  that  there  is  something  wanting, 
and  then  I  recollect  that  it  is  he  who  is  away  from  me. 
Had  he  not  been  thus  snatched  from  us — had  he  been 
spared  to  us  a  few  years,  and  had  we  been  permitted  to 
have  surrounded  his  death-bed,  and  have  closed  his  eyes 
in  peace — "  and  Mrs  Seagrave  wept  upon  the  shoulder 
of  her  husband. 

After  a  time,  Mrs  Seagrave  recovered  herself;  but 
silence  ensued,  only  broken  by  an  occasional  sob  from 
poor  Juno.  William's  heart  was  too  full ;  he  could  not 
for  a  long  while  utter  a  word  5  at  last  he  said  in  a  low 
voice — 

"  I  feel  that,  next  to  my  dear  father  and  mother,  I  have 
lost  my  best  friend.  I  cannot  forgive  myself  for  allowing 
him  to  go  for  the  water;  it  was  my  duty  to  go,  and  I 
ought  to  have  gone." 

"  And  yet  we  could  have  ill  spared  you,  my  dear  boy ; 
you  might  have  perished,"  replied  Mrs  Seagrave. 

"  It  would  have  been  as  God  willed,  my  dear  mother," 
replied  William;  "I  might  have  perished,  or  I  might 
not." 

"  We  never  know  what  the  morrow  may  bring  forth," 
said  Mr  Seagrave,  "or  what  may  be  in  store  for  us. 
Had  not  this  misfortune  happened,  had  old  Ready  been 
spared  to  us,  how  joyfully  should  I  and  all  of  you  have 


336  Masterman  Ready- 

quitted  this  island,  full  of  anticipation,  and  indulging  in 
worldly  prospects.  What  a  change  has  been  brought 
over  me  by  his  melancholy  death  !  "What  a  check  have 
I  received !  I  now  am  all  thought  and  anxiety.  I  have 
said  to  myself,  *  we  have  been  happy  on  this  island ;  our 
wants  have  been  supplied  ;  even  our  comforts  have  been 
great.  We  have  been  under  no  temptations,  for  we  have 
been  isolated  from  the  world ;  am  I  so  sure  that  I  shall 
be  as  happy  in  future  as  I  have  been  ?  Am  I  confident, 
now  my  long-wished-for  return  to  the  world  is  about 
to  take  place,  that  I  shall  have  no  cause  to  lament  that 
I  ever  quitted  this  peaceful,  quiet  spot  ? '  I  feel,  my 
dear  wife,  that  it  is  a  duty  to  my  family  that  I  should 
return  to  society,  but  I  am  far  from  feeling  that  our 
happiness  may  be  increased.  We  have,  however,  a  plain 
precept  to  follow,  which  is,  to  do  our  duty  in  that  state 
of  life  to  which  it  has  pleased  God  to  call  us." 

"  Yes,  my  dear  husband,"  replied  Mrs  Seagrave ;  "  I 
feel  the  truth  of  all  you  have  just  said.  We  are  in  his 
hands,  and  let  us  put  our  trust  in  him." 

"  We  will,  dearest,"  replied  Mr  Seagrave ;  "  but  it  is 
late,  and  we  have  to  rise  early  to-morrow  morning.  This 
is  the  last  evening  which  we  shall  pass  on  this  island  ; 
let  us  return  our  thanks  for  the  happiness  we  have  enjoyed 
here  ;  let  us  confide  in  him  for  our  future  welfare,  and 
let  us  bow  in  humility  to  the  chastening  with  which  he 
has  thought  proper  to  visit  us.  We  thought  to  have 
quitted  this  spot  in  joy, — it  is  his  will  that  we  should 
leave  it  in  sorrow." 

Mr  Seagrave  took  down  the  Bible,  and  after  he  had 
read  a  chapter,  he  poured  forth  a  prayer  suited  to  their 
feelings,  and  they  all  retired  to  repose. 

The  next  morning  they  were  up  early,  and  packed  up 
the  few  articles  which  still  remained  to  go  on  board.  Mr 
Seagrave  read  the  prayers,  and  they  went  to  breakfast. 
Few  words  were  exchanged,  for  there  was  a  solemn  grief 
upon  all  of  them.  They  waited  for  the  arrival  of  Captain 
Osborn   and    the    crew   of    the    schooner   to   attend   the 


Masterman  Ready  337 

funeral  of  poor  old  Ready.  William,  who  had  gone  out 
occasionally  to  look  at  the  vessel,  now  came  in,  and  said 
that  two  boats  were  pulling  on  shore.  A  few  minutes 
afterwards  Captain  Osborn  and  the  commander  of  the 
schooner  made  their  appearance,  and,  after  a  short  con- 
versation, they  went  out  to  give  directions.  The  coffin 
had  been  brought  on  shore ;  the  body  of  Ready  was  put 
into  it,  and  it  was  screwed  down.  William  attended  the 
process,  and  the  tears  fell  fast  down  his  cheeks  as  the 
lid  was  put  over,  and  he  saw  the  last  of  his  old  friend. 

In  half  an  hour  all  was  prepared,  and  the  family  were 
summoned  from  the  house.  It  was  arranged  that  William, 
Mr  Seagrave,  Captain  Osborn,  and  Juno  (at  her  own 
request)  should  be  the  pall-bearers. 

The  coffin,  covered  with  the  Union  Jack  as  a  pall,  was 
raised  on  the  shoulders  of  six  of  the  seamen,  and  they 
bore  it  to  the  grave,  followed  by  Mrs  Seagrave  and  the 
children,  the  commander  of  the  schooner,  and  several  of 
the  men.  Mr  Seagrave  read  the  funeral  service,  which 
was  occasionally  interrupted  by  the  sobbing  of  Juno,  the 
grave  was  filled  up,  and  they  all  walked  back  in  silence. 
At  the  request  of  William,  the  commander  of  the  schooner 
had  ordered  the  carpenter  to  prepare  an  oak  paling  to 
put  round  the  grave,  and  a  board  on  which  was  written 
the  name  of  the  deceased  and  day  of  his  death.  As  soon 
as  this  had  been  fixed  up,  William,  with  a  deep  sigh, 
followed  the  commander  of  the  schooner  to  the  house, 
to  announce  that  all  was  finished,  and  that  the  boat 
waited  for  them  to  embark. 

"  Come,  my  dear,"  said  Mr  Seagrave  to  his  wife. 

"  I  will,  I  will,"  replied  Mrs  Seagrave,  "  but  I  don't 
know  how  it  is,  now  that  the  hour  is  come,  I  really  feel 
such  pain  at  quitting  this  dear  island.  Had  it  not  been 
for  poor  Ready's  death,  I  really  do  think  I  should  wish 
to  remain." 

"  I  don't  doubt  but  that  you  feel  sorrow,  my  dear, 
but  we  must  not  keep  Captain  Osborn  waiting." 

"  I  should  like  to  have  time  to  visit  once  more  all  our 

R.  Y 


338  Masterman  Ready 

little  property  ;  the  garden,  the  fish-pond,  the  turtle 
pond  ;  I  should  like  to  wish  good-bye  even  to  the  animals, 
Seagrave ;  it  may  be  a  weakness,  but  I  cannot  help  it." 

"  Do  we  leave  Nanny,  mamma,"  said  Caroline,  "  and 
all  the  chickens  ? " 

"  Yes,  my  dear ;  we  leave  all  the  goats  and  fowls  for 
other  people,  if  they  come  to  the  island." 

"  Do  we  leave  all  the  turtle  in  the  pond  ? "  said 
Tommy  :  "  turtle  makes  good  soup.     I  like  turtle." 

"  That's  well  thought  of,"  said  Captain  Osborn  ;  "we 
will  take  the  turtle  on  board.  It  will  not  be  losing  much 
time." 

"  Oh  no,"  replied  the  commander  of  the  schooner  ;  "go 
down  then,  my  men,  push  one  of  the  boats  round,  and  get 
the  turtle  on  board." 

While  this  little  delay  took  place,  Mrs  Seagrave  walked 
to  Ready's  grave,  to  see  the  paling  and  board  which 
William  had  told  her  had  been  put  up.  She  would  have 
lingered  still,  hanging  on  her  husband's  arm,  but  Captain 
Osborn  again  came  to  tell  her  that  the  boat  waited  for 
them. 

As  Mr  Seagrave  was  aware  that  the  commander  of  the 
schooner  was  anxious  to  get  clear  of  the  islands  before 
night,  he  now  led  his  wife  down  to  the  boat.  They  all 
embarked,  and  were  soon  on  the  deck  of  the  schooner, 
from  whence  they  continued  to  fix  their  eyes  upon  the 
island,  while  the  men  were  heaving  up  the  anchor.  At 
last  sail  was  made  upon  the  vessel,  the  garden  point  was 
cleared,  and,  as  they  ran  away  with  a  fair  wind,  each 
object  on  the  shore  became  more  indistinct.  Still  their 
eyes  were  turned  in  that  direction.  Juno  and  William 
stood  abaft ;  William  had  the  spy-glass,  and  was  looking 
through  it  very  steadily  as  the  vessel  ran  on,  when  Captain 
Osborn  inquired  what  he  was  looking  at.  "I  am  taking 
my  last  farewell  of  Ready's  grave,"  replied  William. 

"  He  really  a  good  man,"  said  Juno  in  a  low  voice. 
As  they  ran  down  to  the  westward,  they  passed  the  cove 
where  they  had  first  landed,  and  Mr    Seagrave   directed 


Masterman  Ready  339 

Mrs  Seagrave's  attention  to  it.  Mrs  Seagrave  remained 
for  some  time  looking  at  it  in  silence,  and  then  said  as  she 
turned  away — 

"  We  shall  never  be  more  happy  than  we  were  on  that 
island,  Seagrave." 

"  It  will  indeed  be  well,  my  dear,  if  we  never  are  less 
happy,"  replied  her  husband. 

The  schooner  now  ran  fast  through  the  water,  and  the 
island  was  every  minute  less  distinct  j  after  a  time,  the 
land  was  below  the  horizon,  and  the  tops  of  the  cocoa-nut 
trees  only  to  be  seen ;  these  gradually  disappeared.  Juno 
watched  on,  and  when  at  last  nothing  could  be  seen,  she 
waved  her  handkerchief  in  the  direction  of  the  island,  as 
if  to  bid  it  farewell,  and  then  went  down  below,  to  hide 
her  grief. 

The  wind  continued  fair,  and,  after  a  favourable  passage 
of  little  more  than  four  weeks,  they  arrived  at  Sydney 
Cove,  the  port  to  which  they  were  bound  when  they 
embarked  from  England  on  board  of  the  good  ship  Pacific. 

P.S. — As  my  young  readers  will  probably  wish  to  know 
a  little  more  about  the  Seagrave  family,  I  will  inform  them 
that  Mr  Seagrave,  like  the  patriarch  Job  after  his  tribula- 
tion, found  his  flocks  and  herds  greatly  increased  on  his 
arrival  at  Sydney.  The  agent  whom  he  had  left  in  charge 
of  his  property  had  been  diligent  and  honest,  and  although 
it  was  fully  believed  that  the  whole  of  the  family  had 
perished,  and  that  the  estates  would  go  to  distant  heirs, 
still  the  delay  of  law  proceedings  and  the  many  months 
which  it  required  to  communicate  with  England,  added  to 
the  want  of  positive  knowledge  of  their  loss,  had  not  yet 
permitted  the  estates  to  pass  away,  and  they  were  still  in 
the  hands  of  the  executors.  Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave  lived 
to  see  all  their  children  grown  up.  William  inherited  the 
greater  part  of  the  property  from  his  father,  after  having 
for  many  years  assisted  him  in  the  management  of  it.  He 
married,  and  had  a  numerous  family.  Tommy,  notwith- 
standing all  his  scrapes,  grew  up  a  very  fine  fellow,  and 


34-o  Masterman  Ready 

entered  the  army.  He  is  now  a  major,  and  is  said  to  retain 
his  juvenile  tastes  so  far,  that,  among  his  many  arduous 
duties,  he  is  still  a  very  sedulous  and  efficient  officer  at  the 
Mess  Table.  Caroline  married  a  young  clergyman,  and 
made  him  an  excellent  wife;  little  Albert  went  into  the 
navy,  and  is  at  present  a  commander. 

Mr  and  Mrs  Seagrave  are  both  dead,  but  poor  Juno  is 
still  alive,  and  lives  at  Seagrave  plantation  with  William, 
and  her  greatest  pleasure  is  to  take  his  children  on  her  knee 
and  tell  them  long  stories  about  the  island,  and  make  them 
cry  when  she  goes  through  the  history  of  old  Ready's 
death  and  burial. 

And  now,  my  dear  children,  having  given  you  all  the 
information  that  I  possess,  I  have  only  to  add  that  I  hope 
you  like  what  I  have  written  for  you,  and  bid  you  heartily 
farewell. 


THE    END, 


NOTE. 

The  author  of  this  little  work  has  received  a  letter  from  one  of  the  family  of 
the  Mastermans,  stating  that  an  unpleasant  feeling  has  been  created  by  his 
assuming  that  name  for  the  god-father  of  Masterman  Ready,  inasmuch  as 
the  character  of  the  god-father  is  not  one  that  is  at  all  enviable.  What 
might  make  it  appear  that  he  had  actually  referred  to  one  of  the  members  of 
that  family  in  this  work  of  fiction  is,  that,  by  the  strangest  coincidence,  there 
have  been  Mastermans,  for  nearly  a  century,  residing  at  South  Shields,  and 
as  ship  owners  and  builders,  so  that  by  a  mere  chance,  he  has  not  only 
assumed  the  name,  but  the  residence  and  the  occupation  of  the  parties.  It  is 
therefore  his  duty  to  state  that  this  coincidence,  strange  as  it  is,  was  quite 
an  accident,  and  that  he  never  could  or  would  have  taken  a  step  which  could 
cause  any  pain  or  annoyance  to  so  respectable  a  family. 


PRINTED   BY 

TURNBULL  AND  SPEARS, 

EDINBURGH. 


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